They already have one right now... it's called the iPhone 7 and it's their "new" budget phone. If you understand business at all then you must understand something called ROI (return on investment). There simply isn't enough ROI to engineer, design, market and manufacture a brand new small screened "budget" device. Trying to get that return by selling a "premium" small screened phone at a high price would fail miserably in the market.
The SE is dead. If you need a new budget phone the iPhone 7 (or 8 if you want a step-up) are your best options.
there is also something as customers budget. I'm not spending 500€ on a three year old product. That's either a second hand phone or back to android for a 300€ smartphone. Which is not what I WANT to do, but if there is no other option, then it is the only thing I CAN do.
As I said on another forum, there was a time I could afford apple products. Not the top line, but the base line. A rMBP base model after a lot of saving, an SE, an ipad, a display, you know. You save a bit and you can have good quality NEW products with obvious trade offs. These days my salary has gone up and the strange thing is that I can't afford NEW apple products anymore. I can afford three or more year old products (how old is the MB-air and the mini? How old is the i7?) but there is no new product that is in a normal customers budget.
My dad bought a mini last year. he loves it. He was convinced to go for an SE. I spoke to him this morning and he asked me wath the keynote brought. So now he'll keep his android smartphone and I'm not sure he will renew his mini if it is only a "pro" model at a pro price. So how much ROI is that?
My best friend was planning to go for apple after using an ipad. He is looking forward to the mini in his budget and has an android smartphone in the 350€ budget which he can renew in 6 months. I'm not seeing him on board at these prices.
point is, people don't ask flagship models for budget prices. They know that it is a limited offering, but they are willing to accept that trade off if the price is right. But people are not buying years old products for a premium price if the competion is better priced and does what it needs to do. And I admit that apple is far superior over android. No doubt about it. But I had an android phone for over three years. It did it's job. It was not the best experience but it worked for what it was worth. That is zero ROI for apple, so maybe apple needs to do some better ROI for the base models to get as much people on board. there is a big market in the slight above average consumers who don't need flagships but don't want older products. Especially if you want to improve the services income.
just my two cents
