iPhone 12 Mini Faces Production Cut Due to 'Far Lower' Demand Than Expected

[ian87w]

The mini never stood a chance.

People who want a small budget phone will go for the SE.

People who want the lowest price Iphone with a modern design will go for the XR/11.

People who want the newest iPhone with 5g all the bells and whistles will go for the 12 since it’s the “default new phone” and they’re likely used to 6+ inch phones by now.

So essentially what are you left with?
You’re left with the small but premium demographic which the mini caters for. Clearly a very small number of people.
But even this demographic isn’t secure, since you’ll have some who can’t give up their telephoto and stainless steel and will go for the 12 pro. Essentially the mini is in no mans land, without an identity or clear target audience. I’m inclined to believe apple would have been better off fully aiming for this “small premium” demographic and just making a mini pro with small production numbers.

Imo Apple doesn't care if the mini is not selling well. What they care is the fact that people are now buying the iPhone 12 for $100 more than last year's iPhone 11 launch price. Sneaky. Apple can afford having a niche model in their lineup if it means they are increasing their ASP. Tim Cook is a money man.

 

[TechLord]

Imo Apple doesn't care if the mini is not selling well. What they care is the fact that people are now buying the iPhone 12 for $100 more than last year's iPhone 11 launch price. Sneaky. Apple can afford having a niche model in their lineup if it means they are increasing their ASP. Tim Cook is a money man.

Good point. I’ve always said this; it exists as a price anchor, not because Tim cook read macrumours and saw 15 loud people demanding a small phone.

 

[bubulol]

iPhone 12 Mini
This is an own mistake from Apple, they shouldnt name as Mini
At first glance, i would say it sounds cute lol but however retrospectively, this is rather negative/pejorative
Virtually it makes the iPhone even smaller with such name
Let say for example if they named iPhone 12 Max instead of iPhone 12, i wouldnt consider as a possible purchase (i personally dont like bigger screen phone)
Product naming does matter
I believe Apple didnt even attempt to push iPhone 12 Mini, that why they named it ''Mini''

 

[MacBH928]

Good. I wish death for this mini freak. This is not the "mini" we wanted. Its the phablet of the past.

Not surprising. The very loud but minority small phone crowd duped even Apple into thinking that everyone wants a small phone.

People who want a small phone went for the 4.7 SE like me. 5.4 is not small. iphone 5 was 4inch and the 6 was 4.7 . 5.4 is growing in size, not same not smaller. Apple created a product that small form factor do not want, and large form factor do not want.

Oh yes, and the SE comes with a full proper screen and a home button that unlike faceID I do not have to hold it in specific angles and distance for it to work.

 

[otternonsense]

Too bad. I got one and it's my favourite form factor. If it had a stronger battery, TouchID like the iPad Air and a smaller notch it would have been a killer device.

 

[arvinsim]

My wife got one the other day and it’s great. Really a wonderful thing. If I hadn’t needed the Lidar on the Pro for work, I’d probably have gone for it.

I suspect if more people had been able to see them in person more people would have had confidence to try the new size. Hopefully apple stick with it for another year.

I am pretty sure the size is not a deal breaker. It is the battery life.

 

[bubulol]

Battery life?
iPhone 12 battery life is greater but it doesnt mean 12 Mini has crap battery life
As long as it can last for one whole day of use, i wouldn't be worried about battery life
It still better than many iPhone battery life in the past (7,8, X, XS)
For its size, it couldnt be any better
Why people want everything? Small form factor, bigger screen, best battery life, best camera..
Picking an iPhone/smartphone, its a matter of compromise
No matter which size phone model, you will choose, there are some compromises to trade off

 

[genovelle]

Wouldn’t be the first time under Tim Cook’s Apple

Yeah. Trillion dollar company with the first time doing 100 Billion in revenue in a quarter. Tim’s leadership sucks. Lol

 

[Feyl]

If I haven't got relatively new and perfectly capable iPhone XS I would get exactly this iPhone. I would buy even smaller iPhone if Apple made it.

 

[robinp]

I am pretty sure the size is not a deal breaker. It is the battery life.

I don't know, certainly with them only being £100 less than the 12, it would have been a reasonable and logical decision to think "I haven't seen this smaller phone in person and I'm OK with my X / XS / 11 Pro so I'll stick with the size I'm familiar with".

I'm sure battery is a consideration for people as well. But I reckon most people don't pay attention to spec sheet stuff like battery life in the same way that people on this site do. But size is literally how the product is differentiated by Apple. It's front and foremost as the primary difference.

 

[v386]

I’ve heard the mini’s battery struggles to get through a whole day - when brand new. After a year or two usage : it will be useless. I wish Apple had tried this after battery technology had ramped up quite a bit more.

Lol the battery life is a strength of the mini not a weakness, easily over double the old SE. On an average day I have over 50% left and I have doubled my SOT vs my old SE at the same time. To be fair, 5G disabled dark mode after sunset and screen at 1/3 brightness.

 

[ian87w]

iPhone 12 Mini
This is an own mistake from Apple, they shouldnt name as Mini
At first glance, i would say it sounds cute lol but however retrospectively, this is rather negative/pejorative
Virtually it makes the iPhone even smaller with such name
Let say for example if they named iPhone 12 Max instead of iPhone 12, i wouldnt consider as a possible purchase (i personally dont like bigger screen phone)
Product naming does matter
I believe Apple didnt even attempt to push iPhone 12 Mini, that why they named it ''Mini''

How can the it be a mistake when Apple is breaking revenue records during a pandemic?

 

[one more]

I am pretty sure the size is not a deal breaker. It is the battery life.

The battery life depends on our use, which is different. For people charging their phones overnight, does it really matter if they finish the day with 25% (mini) or 50% (12 or 11) of the battery left? 🤷🏻‍♂️

I just popped into a carrier shop and saw a mini, 12 and 12 Pro Max on display lined up next to each other. IMO, 12 just feels chunky in comparison, and I have used iPhone 11 for a year.

 

[japanime]

I’ve heard the mini’s battery struggles to get through a whole day - when brand new.

I routinely get 40+ hours out of mine.

 

[azentropy]

The iPhone 12 mini only appeals to people who want a smaller phone. It doesn’t have any other advantage. I tell friends and family to spend the extra $100 and get the 12 if they don’t mind or prefer the larger size since the battery life is so much better too. When the original SE was released it actually had better battery life than the equivalent 6s, that isn’t the case with the 2020 SE or the 12 minI vs the 12 or even the 11. But I sure love my 12 mini!

 

[v386]

Apple sabotaged the Mini by also making it less feature rich. I would have gladly bought a Mini sized phone that 25% thicker, had the Pro’s camera module, and a bigger battery. But because they are so focused on “it has to be insanely thin” they completely missed the boat with the phone.

For me the weight is also a significant factor, I carry a phone with me for use as a phone if needed so that mass comes with me even ehen running, cycling etc. I’d prefer they make it lighter e.g. by ditching the glass back.

 

[ericwn]

They should cut the price next.

As they always do.

 

[Falhófnir]

I say it shouldn’t cost more than $599

Maxed out? Not going to happen, unless it becomes the basis for an 'SE' at some point. Presumably later this year it will get a base/64GB price cut to $599 when the 12S series launches though. It will be interesting to see if it becomes more popular as it slides down the lineup.

 

[jonnysods]

I love the device - I hope they don’t kill it but make it more affordable and compelling to own.

 

[ericwn]

Apple got caught off guard by the noise on this one. Then again, with all thats been going with the pandemic, anticipation turned into, I need to save that $700 for emergencies. Also, that price is just absurd. A maxed out Mini should not cost no more than 650. There is someone at Apple I believe who likes to pull big numbers out of thin air. Price certain things reasonably. When they were a humble company in the 90’s with the iMac, they recognized they had to be reasonable with pricing. These days, they feel like, they can build anything, overcharge for it and there will be a market.

The market doesn’t come overnight though. The market comes because customers appreciate the entire package , including price, enough to purchase.

Apple offers multiple sizes and a pro line on top as well as slightly older tech in the SE. They have their niches covered. If you didn’t buy an iPhone mini but you were looking to buy an iPhone, you will have bought one of the other offerings for sure.

And the iMac at the time was not a cheap computer either. No Mac ever was. Especially not in the last millennium.

 

[ericwn]

That sucks!!!! Wow.

Maybe that $1400 from the third stimulus check will boost the sales for the mini?

Sounds like you have this figured out then.

 

[ericwn]

I say it shouldn’t cost more than $599

Smaller production runs cost more too.

 

[4jasontv]

You can only do so for the first few months. After that it's a decline down the abyss. Even a 12 Pro Max battery degrades and it sucks when it does. But with bigger battery, it's tolerable.

Been there with the iPhone 5s.. wasn't fun when I have to charge 3 or 4 times a day near its end of use. I only bought the very biggest iPhone ever since.

The 12 pro max sucks to hold on day one, I don’t know where the first few months part comes in. Meanwhile the minis battery lasts all day months after release.

 

[Populus]

Oh boy, I’m gonna buy the next iPhone 13 mini, because if demand is so absolutely low, it will probably be the last iPhone smaller than 6”.

 

[4jasontv]

Yeah well nowadays I keep my phones about 3 years in average. So buying a Mini for me is asking for problems.

That’s my point. Get a mini and you can keep it as long as you want and not feel guilty when you upgrade. The pro max is so expensive you can’t just replace it after a year.