iPhone 14/Plus Apple was right in deleting the iPhone mini

[TightLines]

Here I am, defending my Mini. Some of us actually like being able to fit the phone in our pockets and use it with one hand.

You got that right… its a phone, not a computer. Its nice to be able to do a little email, messaging, and web browsing while on the go, but having my phone fit into a pocket is the most important functionality to me. If i need to do more than communicate I will go to a machine more suited for that task…

If Apple goes any bigger and doesn’t offer a model more small form factor than they do now, personally, I will just move to another brand… I am not so loyal to Apple to just buy something that serves me no purpose or it’s uncomfortable to use. There are other options out there…

Hey, Look at me - I am cool!

 

[ctjack]

t pains me to think about the next SE using the body of the Xr/11, which is the absolute worst iPhone design of all time. To go from the iPhone 5 body in the first SE to that monstrosity… ooof.

I also think that we will age until we go through the next SE design era from XR/11. I bet it will be 4 years until mini will be rolled out as an SE.

 

[snipr125]

It pains me to think about the next SE using the body of the Xr/11, which is the absolute worst iPhone design of all time. To go from the iPhone 5 body in the first SE to that monstrosity… ooof.

The purported SE4 based on rumours is supposed to have a 5.7" screen in the XR/11 design, BUT Tim Cook himself stated the SE phones are for those that prefer smaller iphones, so maybe it will be the XR/11 design but shrunk down proportionately to fit a 5.7" screen. The SE models though are based on re-using previous chassis with no re-tooling, so I really don't know how this will play out. Hopefully its in our favour.

 

[edhchoe]

I would have gone with a 14 mini pro for AOD and lighter weight than 14 pro.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Apple is about saving cost by sharing the same tooling and parts. The XR has FaceID already, and one way to sell the new SE (and possibly a price increase to $450) is FaceID. Apple wouldn’t want to create new tooling nor redesign parts for the lowest tier model. Having power button TouchID means new frame design, new internal layout, and if the SE has a full screen design with minimal notch, it means new screen designs, which means higher cost.

Good points. Either way, I would expect a price of $499. I would imagine a screen size increase too — maybe 5.4”?

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I also think that we will age until we go through the next SE design era from XR/11. I bet it will be 4 years until mini will be rolled out as an SE.

I think the next SE will come out by 2024 at minimum, but I think it all depends on sales for the device.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

A bit off topic, but if the SE does move to an XR-type design as we expect, so you think there would be a market for a $199 iPod in the current SE body?

 

[Lioness~]

I was thinking of buying a Mini quite soon, now I have to wait, until I have decided if I will buy a refurbished Mini or something else. Might take another year or 2.
Apple's loss that they made me insecisive and hesitate - and buy no phone all at the moment ☺️

 

[aurora_sect]

I've got a 14 Pro Max and I've got no problems at all fitting it in my pockets or using it with one hand. And I'm a guy with small little girly hands.

I have fairly big hands and I don't mind using my wife's 13PM, but I hate sitting down with my XS in my pocket and when I had a 6 Plus it bothered me even more.

For me, having the "pro" camera features and more battery life outweighs the benefits of a smaller phone, but I would buy a Pro Mini if it existed. Whether or not there's enough demand to make it worthwhile for Apple has nothing to do with the validity of my preference.

 

[FreedomPenguin]

Waiting for all 5 in the world who actually bought a mini to come in desperately in defence.

iPhone 3GS to iPhone 5 to iPhone 13 mini or so.

will never give up my mini. in fact, when I see the refurbished/or a deep sale of unlocked 13mini's im buying a spare. just dont want to pay full price for something that mine works fine.

 

[Stevenyo]

View attachment 2084803

Based on the most recent display panel order data provided by Ross Young, it's clear this was the right move for Apple and for customers.

• iPhone 13 mini received about 5 million units. The selling price is $729.
• iPhone 14 Plus is getting 20 million panels. The selling price is $929.

Which one generates more revenue? The data suggests customers are buying iPhone 14 at the same rate as iPhone 13 last year, but the mix has shifted significantly to iPhone 14 Plus.

iPhone 14 orders down 38% compared to iPhone 13 - 9to5Mac

We’ve heard quite a bit about how the iPhone 14 Pro models are selling better than the rest of the...

9to5mac.com

The mistake was not positioning the mini as a premium upgrade or creating a "Pro Mini" as the most expensive option in the model range. I'll die on that hill. I truly would pay more for a more minturaized phone with the same features. The 13 Pro I have is basically the size and weighs far more than the 6S+ I thought was too big to carry when I bought it in 2015. Everytime I pick up an old iPod or iPhone from before the "Plus/Max" era, I am reminded how much nicer they were to carry everyday. I would have paid noticeably more for a 13 Pro mini than did for a 13 Pro. The only reason I have a 13 Pro instead of a 13 mini is that ATT offered more than the value of a Mini for my trade in, so I'd be losing money by getting it. Kinda a hard sell when the Mini, which is sold as the lesser model effectively costs me the same as the Pro model. Even if the Pro mini was aluminum still and could only fit 2 cameras, I would pay more for it if it was positioned as the top of the line model and had things like ProMotion display.

The mini's problem was not that it was mini, it's that it was postioned as the "lesser" iphone, not the premium option. "I could only afford the mini" could be replaced with "I paid more for the mini so I can stay more active and cool. Besides, I can just use my iPad Pro when I need a bigger screen."

Even with the marketing failure, I've seen more minis in the real world than Pro Maxes. I've honestly never seen a Pro Max outside of an Apple store. I can palm a basketball and I often find the standard Pro is too big to comfortably use, who is it built for?

People buy the Plus, Pro and Pro Max because if you're gonna spend 800+ on a new phone, is 1000+ really any different? I'd argue that with generous trade in offers, high residual value, and 0% financing plans, the couple extra dollars a month you spend to get a "More premium" iPhone are "worth it" while saving a few bucks to be seen with the "lesser" model isn't. It's not about the device size, but about the positoning of the mini as "barely an iPhone." The mini was doomed by marketing and pricing, not because people want to find clothes with pockets that fit a full size tablet.

 

[bassexpander]

The same basic truth holds for both the Mini and the base 14 model -- if people do not perceive the price to equal a good value, they will NOT buy it in large numbers. The Mini was smaller, and in many minds, should have costed less. I have no doubt that it would have sold like hotcakes had its price been at least $100 cheaper. For the IPhone 14, people are not buying it because it's more expensive than the 13 without offering much perceived difference. Prices for the 14 over the 13 are even worse overseas.

 

[bassexpander]

I have fairly big hands ...

For me, having the "pro" camera features and more battery life outweighs the benefits of a smaller phone, but I would buy a Pro Mini if it existed. Whether or not there's enough demand to make it worthwhile for Apple has nothing to do with the validity of my preference.

I also have big hands. We'd be driven nuts because half of the backside of a Mini 14 would be taken up by those huge cameras. We'd have a terrible time getting a photo without our fingers getting in the way!

 

[Stevenyo]

The same basic truth holds for both the Mini and the base 14 model -- if people do not perceive the price to equal a good value, they will NOT buy it in large numbers. The Mini was smaller, and in many minds, should have costed less. I have no doubt that it would have sold like hotcakes had its price been at least $100 cheaper. For the IPhone 14, people are not buying it because it's more expensive than the 13 without offering much perceived difference. Prices for the 14 over the 13 are even worse overseas.

I really feel the opposite. It was the same tech fit into less space. Miniaturization is expensive! The mini should have been positioned as an upgrade not a downgrade. The only reason I don't have a mini is that it was too cheap for the trade in deal I was doing and would have been a waste. Anecdotally, the Pro Mini would be the best selling iPhone SKU by far, even if (especially if?) it was the most expesive. People buy whatever marketing tells them is the flashiest thing they can afford. If the new hotness was "look how small the new iPhone is, and still with more features than last year" I think that'd sell.

 

[FreedomPenguin]

I really feel the opposite. It was the same tech fit into less space. Miniaturization is expensive! The mini should have been positioned as an upgrade not a downgrade. The only reason I don't have a mini is that it was too cheap for the trade in deal I was doing and would have been a waste. Anecdotally, the Pro Mini would be the best selling iPhone SKU by far, even if (especially if?) it was the most expesive. People buy whatever marketing tells them is the flashiest thing they can afford. If the new hotness was "look how small the new iPhone is, and still with more features than last year" I think that'd sell.

Yeah well people are stupid, they think bigger is better and smaller is cheaper.

It’s the society we live in. Look at everyone taking out house sized loans just to get the biggest vehicle they can, status symbols etc.

I hate the society we live in. Lol

 

[ctjack]

A bit off topic, but if the SE does move to an XR-type design as we expect, so you think there would be a market for a $199 iPod in the current SE body?

I think that making $200 ipod level SE will hurt Apple. Apple wanted to become a little bit more more wallet friendly and did so by just keeping old models for sale, but I think they too have limits. $200 SE 2020(2022) will hurt some upper level sales. The minimum I guess would be $400-$450 for xr/11 body SE and nothing below from Apple.

It doesn't cancel the fact that we might find various se 2020 or 2022 from resellers just like it was with SE1 fire sales.

 

[ian87w]

Would be nice if the 13 mini / 13 became the SE / SE Plus at some point.

That might happen, but maybe in 2026. Apple will never use the current design for their cheapest model, they will wait until the whole lineup has completely new design so the current design will be outdated, then it goes to the SE.

 

[ian87w]

Yeah well people are stupid, they think bigger is better and smaller is cheaper.

look at how many people saying the mini is overpriced ...😅

 

[ian87w]

The purported SE4 based on rumours is supposed to have a 5.7" screen in the XR/11 design, BUT Tim Cook himself stated the SE phones are for those that prefer smaller iphones, so maybe it will be the XR/11 design but shrunk down proportionately to fit a 5.7" screen. The SE models though are based on re-using previous chassis with no re-tooling, so I really don't know how this will play out. Hopefully its in our favour.

Tim Cook said Apple still has Intel macs in the pipeline to be released during the Apple Silicon transition. It was a lie.

On stage, Tim Cook is salesman. Let me know what salesman who is 100% honest.

The SE is basically the cheapest iphone Apple can make. Screen size was just coincidence.

 

[FreedomPenguin]

Tim Cook said Apple still has Intel macs in the pipeline to be released during the Apple Silicon transition. It was a lie.

On stage, Tim Cook is salesman. Let me know what salesman who is 100% honest.

The SE is basically the cheapest iphone Apple can make. Screen size was just coincidence.

I have zero issues with him. Who cares if there’s no more Intel macs. Smaller tech is cheaper than larger tech.

 

[Dhonk]

I think right now Apple is waiting to update the mini to the Xr or Mini factor until there are very few Touch ID phones left in use, or until they have a functioning in-screen Touch ID option

 

[hagjohn]

I'm sure Apple will release a mini every so often.

 

[ian87w]

I'm sure Apple will release a mini every so often.

I doubt it. Apple even increased the Pro iPhone from 5.8" and only 188g (11 Pro) to 6.1" and the weight ballooned to 206g (14 Pro)

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I think that making $200 ipod level SE will hurt Apple. Apple wanted to become a little bit more more wallet friendly and did so by just keeping old models for sale, but I think they too have limits. $200 SE 2020(2022) will hurt some upper level sales. The minimum I guess would be $400-$450 for xr/11 body SE and nothing below from Apple.

It doesn't cancel the fact that we might find various se 2020 or 2022 from resellers just like it was with SE1 fire sales.

You’re misunderstanding what I said — I said a $199 (or even $249) iPod in the body of an SE — meaning just an iPod, not a phone. This would be the least expensive entry into the Apple ecosystem.

 

[ian87w]

You’re misunderstanding what I said — I said a $199 (or even $249) iPod in the body of an SE — meaning just an iPod, not a phone. This would be the least expensive entry into the Apple ecosystem.

Apple been there done that. They did have a $200 iPod Touch, and they were not selling much of those. That's why Apple discontinued the iPod Touch altogether. Besides, at the $200 price points, people would be looking at Android smartphones.

The gateway into the ecosystem will be the iPhone, as it opens up purchases of Apple Watches and Airpods.