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Let me summarize this 11 page thread so far:

Some folks: I’d love to have a smaller/LCD/TouchID device

Other folks: No, you’re wrong to have your preferences, you must agree to purchase what I like because I am right and speak for “everybody”

Yup, welcome to the modern internet where polite differences in opinion are simply not tolerated.
 
No.
Apple can re-use any design that they want and just switch the lightning port out for a USB-C port.
They can keep selling the current third generation based off of the iPhone 8 design, and just switch out the Lightning port for a USB-C one.
It’s not that much different of a port design that it requires an entire new body.
So the cancellation was most likely caused by something else like the availability of the A17 in early 2024 perhaps?
 
None of those three things need necessarily be on an SE model though

One great camera, normal LCD tech and ditch the wireless charging (for SE)
I agree with you. But that’s what is included on a phone these days. If they wanted to modify a recent device to make it an SE, that would cost money and would make it more expensive than $429.

The original SEs took an iPhone 5 and 8 as-is and just added an upgraded chip and occasionally, a better, single camera module. That’s not really possible with any other Apple devices expect for the XR. The rest have multiple cameras, etc which make it cost prohibitive to what we know/expect from an SE device.
 
False. There are a handful of people who pretend to want Touch ID on the internet. In the real world, Touch ID is less valuable than Face ID, and is perceived as such.
Their are more than a handful that dont use either, they input their Passcode.
 
What about picking up iPhone 11? Good old 6.1” LCD screen, great battery and not so expensive nowadays.
Yeah maybe. She already has the dumb phone, a Nokia flip phone, but if she get sick of that then an iPhone 11 might make sense. I'd have thought paying the bit extra for a newer iPhone would make more sense because if it gets years more updates then it'll last longer. Then again there's every chance she could break it, in which case a long life doesn't matter.
 
Yeah maybe. She already has the dumb phone, a Nokia flip phone, but if she get sick of that then an iPhone 11 might make sense. I'd have thought paying the bit extra for a newer iPhone would make more sense because if it gets years more updates then it'll last longer. Then again there's every chance she could break it, in which case a long life doesn't matter.

You could also consider getting her any other second-hand iPhone with a new battery. As long as the screen size is good for her and it can run the latest iOS, she could be better off.
 
iPhone SE
iPhone 12
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max

8 different models at various overlapping price points. Not sure how you could consider that anything other than bloat.

The lower models have £100 intervals in their price and right now we are in a deep economic crisis. Each of those has a market and if the higher models weren’t so obscenely expensive, maybe they be more appealing to a wider market?
 
Well, yeah. People don't want cheap iPhones. They want the top of the line Pro models. That's why the regular 14 sales suck. That's why they stopped making the other cheap phones.

Apple sells tens of millions of regular iPhones and last time I looked I wasn’t seeing everybody with Pro iPhones. They cost over a grand now and people are on a different planet if they think every iPhone user can afford that. We are in an economic and cost of living crisis ffs. The demographics are so broad we need plenty of options which is why Apple have so many right now.
 
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Apple needs to consider how to increase their market share in countries outside of the U.S. and price is definitely one of the main considerations.

As it seems like most U.S. buyers will pay the relatively small premium to get the Pro, what I think Apple should do is to drastically lower the iPhone 14 "non-pro" price. In other countries I've visited, no one wants an old out of date phone, they want the latest, but no one considers Apple because it's just too expensive. If this means that the non-pro has to come with cost cutting options, then they should do that.

I don’t think US posters on here have a clue about the perception of the Pro devices in other countries. They are expensive devices that had a big price hike this year and people are either shifting across to Android or hanging onto older phones. Right now we’ve got a consumer market where people are trying to save money, not spend £1100+ and £1200+ on iPhone Pro devices. Lowering the standard iPhone costs could work but you can also get a flagship Android device significantly cheaper than what the Pro’s are. There’s a very good reason Apple has a smaller segment of the market in Europe and that’s because there’s better deals and Apple prices themselves aggressively high.
 
Think about something available at half the price of a pro. "iPhone" is the prestige brand for most people not "pro" or "I could do Hollywood movies with my triple lenses". Apple has sort of priced out itself of many markets. They need younger people to build the future consumer base so they will need cheaper, not full feature phones as well.
 
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Apple simply need to add a XR design to replace the SE and simply remove that awful dated design.
 
Ok, so going by this logic we will then only have two USB-C iPhone models going forward and Apple will stop selling all the previous ones?
I haven’t seen the actual rule, but I’d presume it prevents introducing a model without USB-C… surely if a retailer has stock of an older model, they don’t have to bin them (that would go 100% against the intent of the law). So if they’re allowed to sell an older model, are they allowed to restock it? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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I have 5 different older relatives (all over 70) that absolutely have to have Touch ID / Home button phones

Swipes are totally confusing to them, and for 2 of them basically impossible with their hands that have some shake/tremor.

For all noise Apple makes about accessibility, it'd be really nice to see them remain committed to some Home button iPhones. The simplicity of the "save me .. just click to go home" one main button was brilliant and it still is.

So many folks can't do (or don't want to) the hand and finger gymnastics to simply interact with their device.
Apple does make a lot of “noise” about accessibility, and actually has a lot of features baked into iOS to help people who need accessibility assistance - regardless of age. People “Over 70” (which is far from ancient, and absent any physical/mental issues is no barrier to any technology feature) may not like to hear that they “absolutely have to” use older tech because the new stuff would just be “totally confusing” to them. My wife is over 70 and my mother is nearly 90, both use iPhone 12s successfully with no accessibility options enabled.

Of course, if tremors/mobility issues are a concern, accessibility features like Assistive Touch, Touch accommodations, etc. are very helpful on ANY model iPhone. And once they see how it enables them to use the features on their SE, they may find that Face ID actually HELPS - all they have to do is look at the phone to unlock it, not touch a specific spot on the phone and possibly enable some unintended action in the process.

I have a hard time envisioning the disability that would make Touch ID superior to Face ID, and still enable operation of an iPhone in ANY way.
 
For what it's worth, this christmas I made the switch from android to iphone and one of my animus was Apple offering a small form factor with the 13 mini. The SE was also in debate (due to touch ID) but the 13 mini won out, due to some gifts. Coincidentilly one of my co-workers got a 13 mini as well to upgrade from a 6 that they operated until it was not economically feasible anymore to repair what is broken and sapped.

So far I am very happy with my small form factor and even my significant other was pleasently suprised.

The only thing I see in this article is that Apple won't upgrade the iPhone SE that quick, as they would only need to convert to USB-C with newly introduced model (iPhone 15); which is okay. Maybe the new SE will be what the mini is now and if that happens, I'd be happy to upgrade down the line, when this phone will not last anymore. But I think there will be many years to come before I really NEED to upgrade, or it would at least be sensible.
 
It’ll get a random chip upgrade via a press release and everything else will stay the same
 
Let me summarize this 11 page thread so far:

Some folks: I’d love to have a smaller/LCD/TouchID device

Other folks: No, you’re wrong to have your preferences, you must agree to purchase what I like because I am right and speak for “everybody”
You missed out the “there’s not enough of you for Apple to think it’s worth making money from”
 
Apple simply need to add a XR design to replace the SE and simply remove that awful dated design.
That will result in a price increase that will not be appealing to the target audience of the SE.

People said the same thing about entry level iPad. "eliminate the older design and make it like the Air". Well, Apple did, and hiked the price up by $120 USD (and increased the price of peripherals).

On the day that the SE3 was announced, I bought the SE2 from my carrier for $199 (no contract, no fees, etc.)... as of this morning, they're selling it for $149. It's an amazing phone... enough to pull me away from a great Android phone that I previously used.

Jack up the price on an SE, and I don't think that I'd be the only one who wouldn't buy one.
 
That will result in a price increase that will not be appealing to the target audience of the SE.

People said the same thing about entry level iPad. "eliminate the older design and make it like the Air". Well, Apple did, and hiked the price up by $120 USD (and increased the price of peripherals).

On the day that the SE3 was announced, I bought the SE2 from my carrier for $199 (no contract, no fees, etc.)... as of this morning, they're selling it for $149. It's an amazing phone... enough to pull me away from a great Android phone that I previously used.

Jack up the price on an SE, and I don't think that I'd be the only one who wouldn't buy one.
At this point people may as well just get a used older device that would be more cost effective. Apple really has no reason to up the price but they always do. The fact you can get a pixel 6a for like 299 with a similar design to what they already have out there really says apple don't need to up the price but it is what it is.
 
At this point people may as well just get a used older device that would be more cost effective. Apple really has no reason to up the price but they always do. The fact you can get a pixel 6a for like 299 with a similar design to what they already have out there
I would never suggest anyone getting an older, used device... especially a smartphone. It ISN'T cost effective. A device with a non-user-replaceable battery that is worn and needs to be replaced will not be such a bargain. Especially when there are other points of failure that are possible.

But I admit that I have an unconventional way of looking at things.

For people who want an iPhone, the Pixel 6a is not an option.
 
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I would never suggest anyone getting an older, used device... especially a smartphone. It ISN'T cost effective. A device with a non-user-replaceable battery that is worn and needs to be replaced will not be such a bargain. Especially when there are other points of failure that are possible.

But I admit that I have an unconventional way of looking at things.

For people who want an iPhone, the Pixel 6a is not an option.
Depends on how old the device is. An Iphone 11 would still be far more cost effective with updated features to an older design where you are getting less. While yes Pixel is not a thing for somebody who wants an iphone but the point was other companies are able to add well designed phones for cheap so really apple has no reason to do so but to get people to buy them. SE at 399 is ok but once it gets to 600 or more you might as well just lump up and get a high level price for better quality product.
 
Can you confidently say that the original source of the info, Nikkei Asia, is wrong? I’d say it’s at least in the realm of plausibility that iPhone manufacturing costs could be around $400-500.

It is rather obvious people dont understand the difference between BOM and COGS, so that discussion with those are basically pointless. I mean he mentioned R&D, that is basically the biggest red flag.
 
I have a hard time envisioning the disability that would make Touch ID superior to Face ID, and still enable operation of an iPhone in ANY way.

I've tried to get a couple of them used to a F-ID phone and they simply get lost through swipes and gestures. The simplicity, familiarity and consistency of the home button always doing the one thing correctly are the key.

They vastly prefer it, even when given choices.

Everyone is different -- please be kind
 
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