The problem here is that everyone is replacing their computers with their phones. The next step obviously is to start replacing phones with watches with ever bigger screens. Oh wait, we are already there.
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iPhone 12 Mini Sales Lackluster Compared to Other Models
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I wouldn’t be mad if there wound up being a 5.6” version of the iPhone Air 2 next year. Thinnest and lightest ever iPhone feels marketable and a lot of 12 and 13 mini loving people could finally upgrade. I know I would.
People can heckle the sales all they like, I still use my 12 Mini and have no interest in 'upgrading' as I like the screen size.
IMO Apple has enough money to make a few less profitable products and to me a smaller iPhone (in a pretty fragmented phone lineup TBH, where I dunno if all the big ones are selling well!!!) is a logical thing to be producing.
I own the 13 Mini, love the size. Alas, clearly they weren't sellling enough Minis for their beancounters to justify offering one every year.
But I think if they offered Minis, say, once every three years, that could create enough sales per offering to make it work economically, since that would be only one retooling/redesign instead of three.
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Also, if they call it an Air they can justify a higher price than when it was just the smaller, cheaper, regular iPhone. And I’m completely okay with that. I am willing to pay a premium for a correctly sized (and light) iPhone. I can see the marketing now: “iPhone Air 2, twice as nice with twice the size options!” Two cameras and speakers would be nice too as long as I’m dreaming.
My first iPhone was the SE(2016) then I bought the 12mini after it came out and I loved having the latest premium specs in a smaller phone. With many apps starting to need upgrading and some apps having readability issues on the smaller screen I finally reluctantly downgraded to the 16e. This is way too big a screen to hold and operate in one hand especially as I do not consume media on my phones. I only browse, make calls and payments, and use Whatsapp, Twitter and Reddit. All my actual work goes and gets done on my computer.
If Apple made even a 5.6" standard specs phone (thinner bezels) with better battery tech to compensate for the smaller size, I would pay the price of a pro to have it. Small size is that much of an important factor for me specially for something I have to carry around with me constantly!
If Apple made even a 5.6" standard specs phone (thinner bezels) with better battery tech to compensate for the smaller size, I would pay the price of a pro to have it. Small size is that much of an important factor for me specially for something I have to carry around with me constantly!
Also I find it hilarious now that even the Plus was discontinued after everyone laughed off those of us who loved the smaller form factor. Both weren't seen as equal in 'value' compared to the standard iphone or the iPhone Pros.
Wish Apple maintained the form factor even if the sales were not comparable to the more popular models. At their sales scales, even a model that sells less than half of the others is in the millions in absolute terms.
Wish Apple maintained the form factor even if the sales were not comparable to the more popular models. At their sales scales, even a model that sells less than half of the others is in the millions in absolute terms.
I'm glad you reminded me. It's funny how the Apple "press" (MR and other sites) have been nearly silent about the end of the Plus model this year. All we heard through 2022 was how the mini deserved to be replaced with the Plus because all people wanted were humongous bus-sized phones and the Plus was an obvious replacement in the lineup. Now that the Plus got the ax just like the mini before it, nobody has anything negative to say about it.
Turns out (as I had been saying for years), consumers want the Pro models, not just a larger screen. A mini Pro would've likely sold just as well as the Plus, likely better. But of course, Apple will take a gamble on a gimped "mini" that isn't a Pro, on a "Plus" that isn't a Pro, and now on an "Air" that also isn't a Pro. Mark my words, they'll discontinue this Air by 2028. But the one thing that people would actually want to buy, they refuse to try.
This 👆
It's what is so frustrating when folks trash the Mini.
Apple was selling them just fine .. it was a niche device (niche for Apple that is) and sold millions and is something that really should be maintained as a "every 3 years or so" release for those that value small size, pocketability and one handed thin, light and small usage.
I feel like the obvious play would be to alternate. Plus one year, Mini the next, so on and so forth. That way you get both kinds of customers on an upgrade cycle.
Would love a thicker phone (for the battery) but a smaller screen (for usability) and the pro-grade cameras (the thickness should help with engineering those lenses)
The advancements they've made in the last four model-years (13 to 17), especially the way they packed nearly the entire iPhone Air electronics into the camera "plateau" could've been harnessed to build a smaller version. Yes, it wouldn't be a Pro and would likely have many of the same compromises as the Air does. But they could've made a thicker, but smaller body phone like the mini with near-equivalent battery life and capabilities as the Air.
And I would've bought it in a heartbeat. I know I'm not alone in that.
Instead, there's other threads in here arguing about who the Air is for. The answer for that isn't obvious at all. Meanwhile the Mini has an obvious (and annoying) customer base it would appeal to!
The Air isn't for anybody except Apple. It's a way for them to get media attention. It is the product that the news headlines will cover: Apple Makes Thinnest iPhone Ever. Some subset of people will be enticed, buy it, and likely be disappointed. The YouTubers will make videos salivating over it, then tell you it's totally reasonable to drop $99 to slap a thick, heavy battery on the back; completely negating the only "benefit" that the thin phone offers in exchange for dozens of compromises.
A thicker, smaller iPhone that is functionally useful and meets the needs of a consumer segment doesn't get headlines. That's why it will always be overlooked for thinner, larger, faster, more cameras, etc.
The day a new mini gets announced I will put in a pre-order! Really hoping all this tech advancements will lead to a small one in the future.
As a 13 Mini owner, I'm on your side. Unfortunately, it was quite a bit less than half.
The iPhone 13 was released in Q4 2021. Here are the relative sales of the four iPhone 13 models in Q1 2022, according to Consumer Research Intelligence Partners. Measuring the relative lengths of the bars digitally, I found that the iPhone 13 Mini represented 4.1% of iPhone 13 sales that quarter (the 3% figure in the linked article is out of all iPhone sales, which includes the 11 and 12):
Just 3% of U.S. iPhone Sales in March Quarter Were iPhone 13 Mini Models
The 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini continues to be unpopular with customers, according to U.S. iPhone sales data for the March quarter that was shared by...
www.macrumors.com
If that 4.1% is representative of the 13 Mini's percentage of total iPhone 13 sales over all quarters (77 M), that's 3.2 M iPhone 13 Minis sold. A large number in absolute terms, but only a small fraction of overall iPhone 13 sales.
The 12 Mini, at 6.7% of iPhone 12 sales in Q1 2021, did somewhat better, but the trend from the 12 Mini to the 13 Mini was obviously in the wrong direction.
I'm guessing that most of those who wanted a small phone bought the 12 Mini, reducing the market for the 13 Mini—which is why I though releasing a Mini just once every 3 years might generate enough sales to justify a release, since that would benefit from pent-up demand.
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Yeah, fair.As a 13 Mini owner, I'm on your side. Unfortunately, it was quite a bit less than half.
The iPhone 13 was released in Q4 2021. Here are the relative sales of the four iPhone 13 models in Q1 2022, according to Consumer Research Intelligence Partners (CIRP). Measuring the relative lengths of the bars digitally, I found that the iPhone 13 Mini represented 4.1% of iPhone 13 sales that quarter (the 3% figure in the linked article is out of all iPhone sales, which includes the 11 and 12):
View attachment 2554054
View attachment 2554056SOURCE:
Just 3% of U.S. iPhone Sales in March Quarter Were iPhone 13 Mini Models
The 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini continues to be unpopular with customers, according to U.S. iPhone sales data for the March quarter that was shared by...
If that 4.1% is representative of the 13 Mini's percentage of total iPhone 13 sales over all quarters (77 M), that's 3.2 M iPhone 13 Minis sold. A large number in absolute terms, but only a small fraction of overall iPhone 13 sales.
The 12 Mini, at 6.7% of iPhone 12 sales in Q1 2021, did somewhat better, but the trend from the 12 Mini to the 13 Mini was obviously in the wrong direction.
I'm guessing that most of those who wanted a small phone bought the 12 Mini, reducing the market for the 13 Mini—which is why I though releasing a Mini just once every 3 years might generate enough sales to justify a release, since that would benefit from pent-up demand.
View attachment 2554062
View attachment 2554063
Just disappointed Apple chose to ignore a smaller section of customers who are willing to buy a smaller phone even at prices equal or more than the standard models. Would obviously appear worse in value to the new-age customers I guess what with getting a smaller screen at same specs and higher price. 😀
I was disappointed I didn’t upgrade to the 13mini when it became available discounted as I later heard it had better battery life than the 12mini I had. But then I was so happy with my 12mini I did not even think about changing phones. 😅
You could buy a used 13 Mini--there are some out there in excellent condition. That would also give you an extra year of OS support.
If you want max battery life, buy one with low battery health (to save money), and then install a new battery.