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Kuo: Apple to Cancel or Postpone 2024 iPhone SE 4

Abazigal said:
an older iPhone (which has a higher manufacturing cost, but has to be sold at a discounted price
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You are basing your assumption on incorrect information. An two or three year old iPhone is not produced now. It was produced two or three years ago. All older models that are still available are overstock.
 
Think this has something to do with the A15 chip.
The iPhone SE 2022 carries the A15.
The iPhone 14 2022 carries the A15.
Therefore iPhone 15 2023 will carry A16 hence SE 2024 carrying A16.

Yes, Apple. Postpone it for a year.

I don’t mind the current touch ID design.

Just manufacture the iPhone 7 Smart Battery case again please. This time with slightly better texture.
 
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N69AP said:
I don't think it's a surprise that the SE 3 underperformed. It didn't improve on the SE 2 in any meaningful way and Apple still increased the price by $30. They could get away with recycling 2017 hardware once but doing it a second time and then asking for even more money is a slap in the face to customers.

I think Apple anticipated that they could increase sales by expanding the iPhone lineup, but what is actually happening is that they're selling the same number of phones across more models. The problem with that is that it costs more in R&D and manufacturing to create 4-5 new iPhones each year, compared to 2014-2016 when they only made two phones.

Apple either needs to adjust its expectations or it needs to simplify the iPhone lineup. The current lineup makes sense on paper: regular or Pro, in two sizes each. But it falls apart because only the Pro models get meaningful updates while the mainstream iPhone gets last year's leftovers. It doesn't make sense to spend $799 on a recycled iPhone 13 when you can buy the actual iPhone 13 for $699. By that point, the gap between the 13 and the 14 Pro is wide enough that it doesn't work as well for selling you up the price ladder.
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It’s why if I was to get a phone this year the 13 is the better value. I don’t see enough of an upgrade to get a 14, especially when they cheaped out and used last years chip in it. In years past even S year upgrades still had a new chip.
They’re getting too carried away with this Pro and regular nonsense. They need to go back to their roots and simplify. One set of chips, cameras etc. They’d do better if they did a small medium large format. From what I understand the mini didn’t do as well because it wasn’t the same as the normal size. Didn’t they mess with the camera on it? I can’t remember but I think they changed some stuff and that affected sales. So make all form factors the same stats.
 
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remington79 said:
It’s why if I was to get a phone this year the 13 is the better value. I don’t see enough of an upgrade to get a 14, especially when they cheaped out and used last years chip in it. In years past even S year upgrades still had a new chip.
They’re getting too carried away with this Pro and regular nonsense. They need to go back to their roots and simplify. One set of chips, cameras etc. They’d do better if they did a small medium large format. From what I understand the mini didn’t do as well because it wasn’t the same as the normal size. Didn’t they mess with the camera on it? I can’t remember but I think they changed some stuff and that affected sales. So make all form factors the same stats.
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Both minis had the same stats as the regular iPhone, but smaller batteries - which was a bigger problem with the 12 mini.

To the best of my knowledge, the problem was the price, as it was only $100 cheaper than the regular.

Would the mini be a success with just one camera lens and therefore a cheaper price? I suspect so.

Even better IMHO if they scale down the 14's easy to open chassis (but don't include the satellite or crash detection).
 
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We finally upgraded our two iPhones, an SE 1st generation and a 7. We replaced both with two iPhone13 minis for the form factor mostly. While we are pleased with the upgrade in performance, and we like the FaceID over TouchID, we both really miss the big Home button. It was so easy to go directly to the home screen with a single button that just worked all the time. The new paradigm of multiple swiping to do the same thing is cumbersome at best. Except for that though, we do like the new iPhone13minis. If this size iPhone is disappearing forever, we may be enjoying our last ones.
 
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I would have bought the 13mini if it had Touch ID. Since it doesn't I went SE3 and never regretted it.
Now late MBAirs have those fingerprint readers as well. I wonder why apple ever abandoned them on phones? They are so useful when mask wearing in public places.
 
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Mega ST said:
I would have bought the 13mini if it had Touch ID. Since it doesn't I went SE3 and never regretted it.
Now late MBAirs have those fingerprint readers as well. I wonder why apple ever abandoned them on phones? They are so useful when mask wearing in public places.
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Same. The only thing holding me back from upgrading is Touch ID. Being able to be at the home screen or Apple pay before the phone is even out of my pocket is a daily pro that I'm not willing to give up.

And yes, I bought the iPhone X before trading it back for the 7. Touch ID on the power button would be perfect.
 
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turbineseaplane said:
Higher costs and higher selling prices is not where the SE line should go
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If data suggests Apple is selling mostly Pro/Pro Max’s, then they are likely to drop lower priced phones.

I bet they skew higher end if anything, especially with those iPhone Ultra rumors. $2k iPhones here we come.
 
vipergts2207 said:
Apple needs to simplify their lineup. It’s so bloated these days with 8 models. Do a Pro and Pro Max, a standard and mini, and the budget option can be the previous year’s mini. Reduces complexity, makes it easier for consumers to pick a phone, and still hits a wide variety of price points and sizes.
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Agreed. Streamline it all like Jobs did in the late 90’s.

Mini/Pro/Ultra names, they suck… but at least be consistent. Mac/iPad/iPhone. Clean up the screen sizes. Something like:

iPhone mini - 6”
iPhone / Pro - 6.5”
iPhone Ultra - 7”
iPad mini - 8”
iPad - 10”
iPad Pro - 12”
iPad Ultra - 14”
MacBook Mini - 12”
MacBook - 14”
MacBook Pro - 16”
Macbook Ultra -18”

🤷
 
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bmot said:
You are basing your assumption on incorrect information. An two or three year old iPhone is not produced now. It was produced two or three years ago. All older models that are still available are overstock.
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Wasn't this the whole reason the iPhone 5c got created? The iPhone 5 proved too expensive to sell as a cheaper iPhone alongside the 5s, hence the 5c (which was also cheaper to manufacture). I don't think Apple produces so many surplus iPhones that they would still be unsold 2-3 years from today. Tim Cook, being the logistics whiz that he is, would never allow it.
 
Eliminating the SE would price this guy out of the iPhone market, and I won't use Android. I really spent too much this time when I bought the SE 2022 for $459. I do agree with those saying it's time for Apple to simplify. I know most people like the iPhone Pro and Max, but I have never been in the financial place to afford such a phone. As it is, I've only bought iPhones when they were in the $199-249 range unless deployed overseas when I had extra money.
 
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The SE filled a niche for me. I want to upgrade to a 13. I think it’s a better deal than the 14. My wife and I needed new phones at the same time. For the price of an iPhone 11 we were able to get two SE2020 or SE2.

Another use we got a SE2 for my daughters first new phone. It’s a good choice over the more expensive flagship.
 
"the consistently lower-than-expected shipments of mid-to-low-end iPhones (e.g., SE 3, 13 mini, and 14 Plus)" is because they are an absurd value for money, in a really bad way. 13 mini and 14 plus were flagship priced. the SE is just laughable with that design, one mediocre camera and bad battery life at its price especially in Europe. this is why if people are not going to be spending at least a thousand euros on a phone, they just tend to go with android because you can get something miles ahead at that price, so they're right for that. iPhones below that price simply don't compete. The SE only exists for the pricing ladder so that there's an iPhone at certain price points but I think Apple is ignorant to the fact that people have other options than them (especially the ones that the SE aims for - those who don't really care about what phone they have) now that smartphones all pretty much do the same thing.
 
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DakotaGuy said:
There isn’t much margin on these lower end devices. Let Android manufacturers have that market while staying focused on the higher premium $1000+ devices. Apple customers have shown they will pay for the higher end devices so catering to the entry level doesn’t make a lot of sense.
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The existing customers, sure. But Apple doesn't have the largest market share to Android by far and many more customers that pay you for something with a small margin is better than losing those customers to the competition. Apple has services, the App Store, tv+, Apple Pay commissions, really so much to bank on after you join the ecosystem. And if someone is happy with what they got, and they will be because Apple can deliver quality hardware that lasts, then more often than not next time around they're gonna shell out more for a more expensive device from the same brand or at least remain a customer if their last purchase lasted them a long time. After all, the people going for the lower end mostly look at value. And currently Apple's offerings have a major value proposition problem outside of the high-end, where everything else is priced similarly
 
  • Mini form factor
  • All screen (no notch/FaceID)
  • OLED screen (great battery life, affordable from money saved jettisoning notch cameras)
  • Ultrasonic underscreen TouchID
  • Flush rear camera setup
That's it for me.
 
zorinlynx said:
Ideally I think Apple should just continue iterating on the existing iPhone SE with Touch ID. It's an excellent low end phone popular with less "technical" people. Keep improving the guts; keep the form factor and display the same.
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What did you use 1993-1995? Gaps in the resume….
 
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