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It’s funny how you can have your own small bubble… most people I know opt for the larger screen, but alas it seems the 12 mini is very popular with the MR crowd here, and it’s still too 10 in the world.
I imagine it's the same folks that used the infamous Steve Jobs thumb graphic.
 
Apple revolutionized the smartphone industry and is the benchmark that everyone compares themselves against. The iPhone isn't just any smartphone. So for a newly launched mini to sit at #8 or #10, is pretty embarassing.
Two things to consider. First, only three non-iPhones outsold the mini. I very much doubt Apple is embarrassed by that and the fact that they have 6 of the top 10 phones. The three phone are also cheap budget phones as well, meant to move in huge volumes. No company's premium phones even made the top 10, unlike the mini. Second, the mini outsold the SE. One sells for $400 and the other $700. I don't imagine Apple is in a hurry to lower their ASP by driving customers to a $400 device versus the $700 one.
 
Two things to consider. First, only three non-iPhones outsold the mini. I very much doubt Apple is embarrassed by that and the fact that they have 6 of the top 10 phones. The three phone are also cheap budget phones as well, meant to move in huge volumes. No company's premium phones even made the top 10, unlike the mini. Second, the mini outsold the SE. One sells for $400 and the other $700. I don't imagine Apple is in a hurry to lower their ASP by driving customers to a $400 device versus the $700 one.

Both the iPhone SE and the iPhone 12 mini carried 1% global sales in January 2021. Given the iPhone 12 mini was a 3 month old device with 5G wrapped in a new form factor, that's pretty embarrassing. If the mini is already 1% in January, it clearly has no staying power.

The iPhone 12 mini is also fighting against other 1% sellers like Galaxy A31 and Redmi 9. Those are mid-2020 4G devices using Mediatek processors or LCD panels. Given the effort and Apple's dominance, I would call that a failure. That's like bringing a gun to a knife fight and barely staying alive.
 
Can't wait for the 13 release, so that'll snag a used iPhone 12 Pro (in top condition, that is).
I'm mostly interested in the 10-bit video capabilities, other than that I'd be more than happy with my current XR.
 
I mean, it's not wrong. Have Human thumbs somehow gotten larger in the last ten years?


Users have learned to use both hands on a smartphone. How do people pinch and zoom with a single hand holding the iPhone? The ad helped gloss over the fact Apple didn't have phablets in 2012, but it doesn't reflect user reality. Remember, Steve Jobs was still alive when Jony Ive was designing the iPhone 6 at Apple.
 
I mean, it's not wrong. Have Human thumbs somehow gotten larger in the last ten years?

no but our screen time on phones have nearly doubled since 2011. portable viewing became more important than one handed operation. and the apple watch started taking a lot of responsibilities of what one handed quick interactions used to cover (raising wrist to check messages for example).

i would guess that's the same conclusion the design team came up with
 
If I were to predict iPhone 12 sales solely off of MacRumors, I would’ve guessed that the iPhone 12 Mini would’ve outsold the other models by *far*.

I think some of us tend to lose touch with what the “average user” wants after spending extended amounts of time here or in other tech forums.

While the Mini did not sell poorly in any sense of the word, it clearly underperformed. People are just not flocking to a Mini iPhone.

Whether that’s due to the price, the name, or sales cannibalization from the regular 12 and/or SE- I’m not sure. But it seems the Mini won’t be sticking around for very long unless Apple starts seeing the numbers they want.
 
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I'm not sure anyone was anticipating the mini being one of the best selling. But, it is an essential model/form-factor in the lineup. If Apple ends up getting rid of it, I'll chalk that up as one of Apple's top 5 blunders. (It is as essential to the iPhone lineup as the Mac Pro is to the Mac lineup. Quantities, even profits, are irrelevant. It just needs to be there.)
That's a super strong statement.

Not sure how it's "essential"---it's been a non-product for, I don't know, more than a decade, and Apple has never seemed to have trouble selling iPhones.
 
It's been over 6 months since launch and Tim has never mentioned iPhone 12 mini during an earnings call.
Follows Apple‘s ads or lack of as well! 😡🤬

you don’t advertise you miss out of big opportunities for revenue in that small premium handset segment.
by comparison, Sony made their pro “Xperia Compact” devices for almost 7yrs, selling a LOT less globally by estimated comparison to the mini.

Xperia Z1 Compact
Xperia Z2 Compact
Xperia Z3 Compact - Sony’s all time best selling model of this series!
Xperia Z5 Compact
Xperia XZ1 Compact
Xperia XZ2 Compact

Very curious to ask all involved with iPhone 12 if this was a middle finger to Sony over some dispute or exec conversation as a “ha!” thing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hey yo, screw Apple if they discontinue the iPhone Mini. Best damn iPhone I've owned in almost a decade.
! Word!
I’m in full agreement as my mini is also the best phone I’ve ever had, period! It’s also my most favourite design of al; previously the iPhone SE OG, 5S and iPhone 4S in that order over time.

get an iPhone 12 put a non super slim name like case and you really feel the bulk of that phone, you could eat it for a sandwich.
This headline is just another way to say the mini didn’t sell compared to all three of its siblings
(Edited)

an interesting way to
perceive Cook’s comments on earnings call today is … it’s another way NOT to mention/know how the iPhone 12 mini’s sales are vs all other models.


I’ve owned them all and the 12 mini is, by far, my most favorite iPhone. Also, it is the phone that optimally works with the MagSafe wallet in terms of fit and function. Don’t see myself ditching this combo for the next few years.
whoop!

I’ll not be ditching the 12 mini but my current one (daily driver) will be as my backup to the 13mini when it debuts this year.
 
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If the mini had the cameras of the pro I’d gladly buy it, and I don’t think I’m alone in saying that.

100%. Give me the Pro Max Cameras in the Mini body and I'd jump at it, even at the $1099 price point.

For how long I keep my iPhones, price is basically no object, but the size is definitely a barrier.

if the 12 mini did have the Pro’s cameras you be throwing you 12 mini to the wall or returning it within the full refund policy period due to significantly worse battery life.
 
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Users have learned to use both hands on a smartphone. How do people pinch and zoom with a single hand holding the iPhone? The ad helped gloss over the fact Apple didn't have phablets in 2012, but it doesn't reflect user reality. Remember, Steve Jobs was still alive when Jony Ive was designing the iPhone 6 at Apple.
Um double tap to zoom In, repeat to restore normal view? Maybe thumb & ring finger together?
 
Why?

One can argue that the Mac Pro is important because there are people who use it to develop for the rest of the Apple ecosystem. So there is strategic value in supporting that 1% of Mac Pro users so they can in term benefit the other 99% of Apple users.

What’s the value add of the iPhone mini to other Apple users?

Because it completes the iPhone lineup, which is arguably Apple's most important product line right now. There are regular models, pro models and phone-sized-phone models.

My comparison to the Mac Pro isn't meant to be a detail-for-detail match, but to make a point. Apple needs the Mac Pro to round-out the Mac lineup as well (even if it is a tiny fraction of sales share). It is important because it fits the workflow of an important segment of their user-base, just like the iPhone mini does in the phone lineup.

The value-add are a bunch of things, but I can summarize it into being a form-factor an important segment of Apple customers want to fit their preferences and workflow (and, as you witness around here, quite adamantly and vocally).

I almost always have other screens around me. I want comfort of use over screen real-estate. I don't use my phone for anything for which the bigger screen is much of an advantage. (Ok, I once tried Minecraft on it, just to see how it performs... but I use my iPad and desktop for that.) I'd have been happier, if they'd stuck with the original SE form-factor (my previous phone). I went with the mini to 'vote with my dollars' in part, and also because my son needed a phone. It is pushing the form-factor to the edge, in fact I'd say over the edge. It isn't nearly as comfortable to use as the SE was.

Apple can always replace the mini with another iPhone 5G in the $699 slot. That seems to be what they're doing in 2022 when component prices are lower: offer two mainstream and two premium options with 6.1" and 6.7".

The $699 slot really serves as a price gateway to iPhone 5G rather than a size preference. On the other hand, the Mac Pro is needed to create heavy content for the entire Apple ecosystem.

The iPhone mini isn't about price, especially now (that argument could have been made - and was! - about the original SE). The new SE exists for that market, and is a better fit. Most bargain-hunters want the bigger screen, as they are more likely to use the phone more exclusively.

Most people say that they don't want a small phone. I say go even smaller Apple. The 12 mini is not mini at all.

Yeah, same here. I was a bit disappointed it is bigger than my original SE was. I like it, but it clearly isn't as ergonomic as the SE was. They probably are pushing the boundary so much, that many just go, 'ah, what the heck, I'll just go slightly bigger to the iPhone 12'. Those millimeters really do make a big difference though. (My wife has an iPhone 7, and I wouldn't go that big... if that - or bigger - becomes the only option, I won't be an iPhone user anymore.)

The iPhone 12 mini is also fighting against other 1% sellers like Galaxy A31 and Redmi 9. Those are mid-2020 4G devices using Mediatek processors or LCD panels. Given the effort and Apple's dominance, I would call that a failure. That's like bringing a gun to a knife fight and barely staying alive.

I guess, if your 'success metric' is outselling everything else. There's also the metric of making an important segment of your user-base happy, too.

It's kind of like all the car makers rushing to make every model an SUV/crossover. Sorry, never going to own one of them. I'll walk/bike first. There are also a lot of car-buyers who still want sedans, sport cars, pickup trucks, etc. One 'size' doesn't fit all.

That's a super strong statement.

Not sure how it's "essential"---it's been a non-product for, I don't know, more than a decade, and Apple has never seemed to have trouble selling iPhones.
Yes, I realize that. And, I feel that strongly about it.
As for essential... I guess that depends. There's always just not buying an iPhone. Is that essential enough?
 
iphone12-lineup-wide.jpg

These are the bezels the new iMac should’ve had.
 
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The iPhone mini isn't about price, especially now (that argument could have been made - and was! - about the original SE). The new SE exists for that market, and is a better fit. Most bargain-hunters want the bigger screen, as they are more likely to use the phone more exclusively.

Apple's homepage says iPhone 12 starts "from $699 before trade-in." There are plenty of consumers who want a current generation 5G iPhone at an entry level price.

It's not black white. There are $399 shoppers an there are $699 shoppers. Both of them can be frugal.
 
Both the iPhone SE and the iPhone 12 mini carried 1% global sales in January 2021. Given the iPhone 12 mini was a 3 month old device with 5G wrapped in a new form factor, that's pretty embarrassing. If the mini is already 1% in January, it clearly has no staying power.

The iPhone 12 mini is also fighting against other 1% sellers like Galaxy A31 and Redmi 9. Those are mid-2020 4G devices using Mediatek processors or LCD panels. Given the effort and Apple's dominance, I would call that a failure. That's like bringing a gun to a knife fight and barely staying alive.
You seem to be missing my point. The mini isn’t competing with those cheap devices. No other manufacturer had a premium model even in the top 10, which means the mini outsold even Samsung’s flagship models. I have no doubt Apple is proud of that fact. The only way to spin the mini being the 6th most popular smartphone as a bad thing is by being intentionally absurd.
 
I guess, if your 'success metric' is outselling everything else. There's also the metric of making an important segment of your user-base happy, too.

It's kind of like all the car makers rushing to make every model an SUV/crossover. Sorry, never going to own one of them. I'll walk/bike first. There are also a lot of car-buyers who still want sedans, sport cars, pickup trucks, etc. One 'size' doesn't fit all.

Apple is not in the business of selling semi-successful products. The HomePod wasn't successful, so they discontinued it. The 12" MacBook wasn't selling, so they stopped making it. If they tried making everybody happy, Apple would be like Samsung and have countless models launched every year.
 
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