iPhone SE Sales Forecasted as 'Lackluster' Over First Weekend

[147798]

Overall, Cook is asleep at the switch. See also the 9.7" pro tear down, which shows it to be a blend of the 12" and the iPad air.

Add to that new nylon watch bands, and Apple is just oozing with innovation.

 

[Swordylove]

Well, I opted for an Xperia Z5 Compact instead. I'm no fan of Android, but the SE was a bit too much meh! to bother and Windows Phone is obviously going down the drain. Options for those in search of good 4-4,5" phones sure are limited.

Funny, I'm the other way around. I'm a Fandroid and I wanted to like Z5C, but it's too meh and a bit too expensive for what it is. While SE is seriously tempting right now.

 

[iMember]

All six of them decided to pre-order a Tesla instead (although you'll look even more ridiculous holding one of those up to your ear - but maybe the autodrive feature will be good for one-handed texting).

Or, they gave up and bought a 6s last year, stopped worrying and learned to love the phablet.

Lets see:

Q: Why do some people like 4" phones?
A: Because their main usage is phone calls and text messaging, for which a 4" display is more than adequate & still usable for the occasional bit of web surfing or video playing.

Q: Why do some people prefer 4.7-5.5" displays?
A: Because their main usage is web browsing, games, photography, watching videos etc. for which a large display and a fast processor are better, but the phone still fits into a shirt pocket or handbag and is OK for calls and texting.

Q: How do you sell phones when everybody has one?
A: Offer them a must-have feature that makes them upgrade.

Q: If your main usage is phone calls and text messaging and you already have a 4" phone that does these perfectly, why would you want to upgrade to a larger screen, faster CPU?
A: Er...

Yahoo for user choice, brand loyalty etc. - and maybe Apple should have made the 6 in 4" and 5" versions in the first place rather than big and bing'n'bendy, but its not a big surprise if the SE is not a big seller.

Exactly, I use an iPhone 4s and I don't have small hands..but I do have normal size head, and when use the phone to make calls I don't look stupid!
Galaxy s7 Edge 4.7' inch screen with iOS! I'm dreaming about that phone everyday

 

[cdmoore74]

I used the phone over the weekend and like it. But I never owned the 5 or 5S for a long period of time so I'm not bored with the design. But today I own a 6S and S7 and have no need for it. The phone lacks any real innovation. Apple is basically pulling parts from 3 different phones. It's using the same front assembly from a 5S for crying out loud.
Plus we are only 5 months away from the next iPhone. What if Apple decides to release 3 models on launch day? Just look at what happened with iPad 4.

 

[kuck]

I like the 5SE, but it does not have enough memory. I don't want to be selective about the music I have on my device or easily run out of space when I take a video in HD.

Maybe when they release the 2nd version of this iphone, I will get one. Really like the smaller size.

Hopefully Apple will add more memory later.

 

[TallManNY]

Wow. The SE had 10% of the sales of the 6s in its opening weekend. I'm actually really surprised it was that high. It definitely didn't seem like a phone many people would preorder. It is either (a) a phone for those whom this form factor is huge issue or (b) a budget iPhone. Folks buying budget products don't preorder. They carefully compare and they shop in person generally.

But really no reason to compare it to the flagship releases. Completely different price point and product.

 

[Cobra502]

Funny, I'm the other way around. I'm a Fandroid and I wanted to like Z5C, but it's too meh and a bit too expensive for what it is. While SE is seriously tempting right now.

Technically the benchmarks make it the fastest phone so far. look at some real world tests and that should push you over the edge.

 

[falainber]

This wasn't some grand new reveal of a device. Analysts get paid to say the darnedest things...

How come? Did not they have a special event just like for other major product announcements?

 

[Swordylove]

Galaxy s7 Edge 4.7' inch screen with iOS! I'm dreaming about that phone everyday

I dream of iPhone SE with Android + waterproofing. <3
Ahhh if only there were Boot Camp for iOS to boot Android!

 

[pat500000]

iPhone se (iPhone suckered you in edition)

Personally I don't mind the 5s design...the design was great. at least you don't have to worry about bending phone or whatever.
It's not cool to sell this in the same year as iPhone 7 or new models. It's like double slapping at customers' faces.

 

[icrew]

So it seems that the speculation about how many were sold is based on the fact that the iPhone SE isn't as backordered as most iPhones are when they're released. The alternative explanation that I'm not seeing mentioned is that it could also be because many of the components (screen, case, processor, camera, etc.) are taken from phones that have been on the market for at least 6 months, meaning that it's unlikely that there would be supply chain-related delays at the same level as what happens with a normal iPhone launch, where many of the components are all-new.

In other words, isn't it plausible to think that the reason for the lower-than-normal delays for orders might be because Apple/Foxconn can manufacture them in greater quantities than they can with most newly-launched iPhones?

(I don't own Apple stock, nor have i purchased an iPhone SE, so I don't have skin in the game. Just pointing out what might be another logical explanation.)

 

[DaveMcM76]

My fiancee just ordered an SE as a replacement to her old and broken HTC One M8 as she wanted an iPhone (and has her eye on a watch) and much preferred the feel of the 4" phone to the 4.7" having tried my old iPhone 5 - which my mum is still using with no issues - vs my 6S.

There is a very real demand for the iPhone SE but it is just never going to be - and was never intended to be - as large a demand as for the flagship 4.7 / 5.5 inch offerings.

 

[falainber]

Can we stop acting like the Tesla announcement stole any of Apple's thunder? They're two completely separate products and each got a fair amount of coverage in the news. Consumers are smart enough to hear about two new things on the same day and not fixate on one.

Don't you understand? For one Tesla 3 Model ($35K) one can buy 80 iPhone 5SE (give or take) which means that 200K preordered Teslas stole 16 million iPhone presales

 

[JohnnyCanadian]

Musk is not the new Jobs, Jobs was a show man, Musk is not a great speaker. That being said I still really enjoy watching Musk's keynotes.

Jobs was a better showman, to be sure: I've never seen such a brilliant presenter. However, Musk is at least the equivalent product man that Jobs was. As a former Apple employee (a LONG time ago: pre-Newton!) it pains me to see the dearth of Jobsian products since his passing. In fact I don't see any real visionary thinking in the IT / consumer electronics markets at all these days: it's all just faster, thinner, higher capacity, higher resolution. Where's the next true breakthrough product a la Mac, iPod, iPhone or iPad? There's no creativity in the market these days which makes Musk's shakeup of the automotive industry that much more impressive.

(I'm EE so yes, a bit biased, but nonetheless ...)

 

[NT1440]

I don't understand.

Why are analysts under the impression this is supposed to be a blockbuster device? I think this is going to be Apple's low end device for the next two years (minimum) and is supposed to be for developing markets. It's a stepping stone into the iOS ecosystem, not a blockbuster-gotta-have-it-because-I'm-always-a-new-device-buyer device.

This is for the people who have 4's/4s's and don't upgrade more than every three years minimum.

 

[SirCheese]

He's calling out the hypocrisy and you're commenting on the semantics of his argument. Two very different things here.

I'm simply commenting on how it bothers him on what other people feel. Nothing more.

 

[8281]

Not really surprising. Apple cut down production costs by reusing a design from years ago. Maybe international markets will perform better. Personally I think they should have taken a chance and revealed something really neat looking. The hardware designers over there must be getting bored.

 

[npmacuser5]

The whole phone market is down. Out at Costco, chatted with the kiosk phone sales person. Asked how the phone sales were going, Slow. Not just the iPhone, all the phones. The product cycle seems to be at the top of the bell curve. Very little innovation for those who have a working phone to make the investment in a new one. The SE could easily fill a niche market with steady sales growth. Maybe not spectacular sales.

 

[dannys1]

As I said since the rumours started if it was actually on parity feature for feature with the 6s id buy it. I'm more of a junkie for having the latest tech than the phone size id prefer. My idea phone doesn't exist so I compromise with an over sized handset.

Having said that someone in the family did buy one. But this is more for people who don't care about being on the bleeding edge of tech and the irony is its unlikely they'd see any difference running this over an iPhone 5S apart from the Apple Pay part.

 

[Freida]

The SE has the same performance as the current flagship. What is confusing about that?

no 3D touch, old design -> crippled product when compared to flagship 6S. What is confusing about that?

 

[eoblaed]

I really hope there isn't anyone that's surprised by this. Sure, there's a market for a small phone. We've seen lots of people on these forums happy to be able to get an updated 4" device. But sales and marketing trends have clearly shown the larger form factor is, far and away, the preferred device size.

 

[catchatyou]

I'm about 90% sure that I'll buy an SE. The thing I'm holding out for it to see if it has the same NVME storage controller as the 6s. I have yet to find a report about that, but from the videos I've seen so far (stating that it's the RAM increase responsive for the snappiness...not too sure if that's entirely true) seems to point in the direction that it does have the NVME storage controller.

 

[ksnell]

Right here. I'm one of those people who wants a new 4-inch iPhone. And until one is released, I'll continue to use my iPhone 5s.

If sales aren't good on this one, I think it's fair to assume they won't release a "new" one in the lineup in the fall. This was a great way for them to test the market like with the 5C.

 

[cableguy84]

Lackluster launch for a lackluster phone.

Missing multiple features. Patched together, with random parts from a phone released nearly 3 years ago (5S).

 

[cdmoore74]

I would love to buy the iPhone SE if I didn't already have an extremely capable iPhone 5S with an A7 64-bit processor.

I bet if Apple gave the 6S the mini treatment from the ground up that would entice many people in your shoes. To me what's the fun in upgrading if the phone looks exactly the same?
And that's why I may skip the next iPhone if the rumor is true about the redesign not happening until 2017. There is only so many times you can milk a design even if it's fast.