New iPhone SE Could Launch in May With Touch ID and A10 Fusion, Without 3.5mm Headphone Jack

[PickUrPoison]

No headphone jack and glass back = no sale

Those are the main things I want (headphone jack) and don't want (glass back) in a phone.

I’m not sure I buy either rumor but if they did do a redesign to add wireless charging, they may have figured the internal space used by headphone jack might better be used to add more battery capacity and/or make it easier to waterproof.

But those (not you) who think it had to do with some conspiracy to push customers into buying AirPods are wrong, I think. The target market for the least expensive iPhone is not the market that would be buying AirPods.

Those who are just buying for size and not cost could/would buy them whether there’s a headphone jack or not. And the conspiracy theory that Apple removed the headphone jack to push AirPod sales never did make much sense, since Apple included a free adapter, in addition to Lightning headphones.

 

[lec0rsaire]

The A10 would be perfect. It still is an amazing SoC. The A11 is better of course but there’s really nothing significant that the A10 can’t handle well.

As for the headphone jack, it probably comes down to them wanting to certify these as IP67. 86ing the jack would be the quickest way to do this.

These retail for $350 and $450. They’re a bargain especially for people who don’t need the most powerful device nor all of the extra bells and whistles much like the new iPad compared to the iPad Pro. Why buy an iPad Pro if you don’t want a Smart Keyboard and don’t need nor care about the limited display and 120hz refresh rate?

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

Not really. There is plenty of smaller smartphones out there than iPhone 8. You find it too big then i suggest using a smaller smartphone. Simple really

Misquoted I'm afraid, I never said I found the 8 too big. I said I could reach the top corner of the 6/7/8 series to use one handed (Plus models accepted).

What I did say was that an SE with the same body size as the current one but full screen might tempt me to switch - as it wouldn't be that much smaller than the 6/7/8 screen wise. I also think anyone with average hands or larger could cope with that screen size too.

 

[aylk]

It won't have an A11 chip.

It always gets the latest chip.

 

[fairuz]

Not really. There is plenty of smaller smartphones out there than iPhone 8. You find it too big then i suggest using a smaller smartphone. Simple really

There's the SE (bad cause old) and the Android phones (bad cause Android). Even if you're ok using Android, most of them are big, so you're stuck with weird niche ones if you want small.

 

[KPandian1]

Probably the biggest reason why the 2018 iPad got the A10 rather than the A11 is that the iPad Pro line is currently using the A10X,

I wonder if it won’t be the A11 just so they can leave it alone for another 3 years? An A10 is still flagship grade at this point (compared to what android are using) but in 3 years time?

The chipset Apple will use for the next SE will mainly depend on how much it costs Apple, and how long they will want that model to run before a refresh.

These are the costs of the chips at the time of introduction - the older the chip, the more they cost to keep the production line running:

A9 - $22.

A10 - $26.90

A10X - Cannot find the cost.(iPad Pro 10.5)

A11 - 34.90 A11 Bionic (iPhones 8 and 10)

The costs surely they must be less now.

The next chip is a supposedly a smaller 7nm die.

Will Apple run two foundries simultaneously to produce the A10 and the A10X? Not likely.

The A11 is on its way out if the 7nm chip comes in on time. So, unless Apple is throwing away the A11 die, that is what I expect in the next iPhone, with another 3-4 year life.

If it is not the A11, just because Apple likes to stagger power levels, it will be the A10X, pointless but still fun.

 

[msp3]

>tfw no iPhone SE X

 

[fermat-au]

If Apple believes in a wireless future, they have to include a pair of wireless headphones at some point.

While I agree with you in principle, the problem in the world of Tim's Apple is ASP. The Air Pods retail for US$159, if say half of all iPhone buyer now buy AirPods as well, that effectively increases the average selling price by $80, good for Apple. If Apple were to ship AirPods or some other wireless headphones in the box Apple would need to increase the price of all iPhone, to account for the increases costs and lost revenue.

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

While I agree with you in principle, the problem in the world of Tim's Apple is ASP. The Air Pods retail for US$159, if say half of all iPhone buyer now buy AirPods as well, that effectively increases the average selling price by $80, good for Apple. If Apple were to ship AirPods or some other wireless headphones in the box Apple would need to increase the price of all iPhone, to account for the increases costs and lost revenue.

You're correct with six words added to your last sentence . . . .

and to maintain existing profit levels.

However, Apple don't "need" to do this, they make huge profits already. Like all big business they choose to push it as far as they can providing customers are still willing to pay in the volumes Apple desire.

 

[azeeb]

These are the costs of the chips at the time of introduction - the older the chip, the more they cost to keep the production line running.

Will Apple run two foundries simultaneously to produce the A10 and the A10X? Not likely.

You don’t understand how semiconductor manufacturing works. Older chip designs don’t get more expensive to manufacture. Apple doesn’t have any foundries. Apple designs the chips and other companies manufacture them (TSMC in the case of both A10 & A11). One foundry can (and does) run many different designs in many different process nodes (16nm, 10nm, 7nm, etc.) all at the same time. There is no need to have separate foundries for every chip design.

 

[PickUrPoison]

It always gets the latest chip.

The SE was refreshed last year but it did not get the A10, Apple kept the A9.

 

[ftaok]

The SE was refreshed last year but it did not get the A10, Apple kept the A9.

iPhones never get a cpu change on a minor refresh. Usually it's just a change in storage Tues and/or new colors.

There's only one data point, so no one can really say with any certainty. The original SE was introduced with the top of the line processor A9. If Apple does the same thing, which it really can't since March had already passed, it would sport an A11.

With all this said, it would not surprise me to see an SE2 released with an A10.

 

[KPandian1]

You don’t understand how semiconductor manufacturing works. Older chip designs don’t get more expensive to manufacture. Apple doesn’t have any foundries. Apple designs the chips and other companies manufacture them (TSMC in the case of both A10 & A11). One foundry can (and does) run many different designs in many different process nodes (16nm, 10nm, 7nm, etc.) all at the same time. There is no need to have separate foundries for every chip design.

I am aware that Apple "produces" its chips at Samsung and TSMC. I was referring to the cost of keeping a production line running when the focus is forward (i.e., 7nm), especially when Apple has to pay these companies to even keep the foundries alive in that particular chip line, say A9.

I have sufficient knowledge of how the chip manufacturing goes, for a non-engineer. Enough to know that resources used for a defunct chip eats away at newer production capacity, whether it is bricks or microchips being produced. Even printed circuits can face production shortfall.

Interesting that the 16nm and 7nm chips are (or can be) produced in the same line! Care to link it?

 

[PickUrPoison]

iPhones never get a cpu change on a minor refresh. Usually it's just a change in storage Tues and/or new colors.

There's only one data point, so no one can really say with any certainty. The original SE was introduced with the top of the line processor A9. If Apple does the same thing, which it really can't since March had already passed, it would sport an A11.

With all this said, it would not surprise me to see an SE2 released with an A10.

I posted earlier with a longer analysis but in summary: the A8 would have been a poor choice when the SE came out in 2016, since Apple knew it had to last 2 years. So they chose the A9.

Now in 2018, the A10 is perfectly sufficient to last another 2 years, until a 2020 refresh.

But if Apple were planning on a 3 year refresh cycle this time, I could see them using an A11.

 

[azeeb]

I am aware that Apple "produces" its chips at Samsung and TSMC. I was referring to the cost of keeping a production line running when the focus is forward (i.e., 7nm), especially when Apple has to pay these companies to even keep the foundries alive in that particular chip line, say A9.

I have sufficient knowledge of how the chip manufacturing goes, for a non-engineer. Enough to know that resources used for a defunct chip eats away at newer production capacity, whether it is bricks or microchips being produced. Even printed circuits can face production shortfall.

Interesting that the 16nm and 7nm chips are (or can be) produced in the same line! Care to link it?

Apple doesn’t have to pay to keep a “chip line” open, because there is no such thing as a physical “line” dedicated to building one chip. The machines in a semiconductor fab are fairly generic. One day (or even hour) they might be making chips for Apple in a 10nm process. The next they can be processing a different chip for someone else in a 7nm process.

I am an engineer with 15+ years in the semiconductor industry.

 

[germinator]

I was about to replace my aging iPhone 5 with the new SE, but I simply cannot accept the notch. So I am going to wait for the next generation--sans notch--to upgrade, hoping that the old 5 will survive until then. If it breaks and Apple doesn't have a model without notch, I will consider switching to android.

 

[PickUrPoison]

I was about to replace my aging iPhone 5 with the new SE, but I simply cannot accept the notch. So I am going to wait for the next generation--sans notch--to upgrade, hoping that the old 5 will survive until then. If it breaks and Apple doesn't have a model without notch, I will consider switching to android.

The notch on the SE is amazing, you can’t even tell it’s there...

 

[GoodWheaties]

I prefer the smaller size, and spent a week with an SE after having used 6/6S for 2 years, and this confirmed my preference. Only thing that stopped me from using an SE is lack of water resistance. Currently using an iPhone 7, and I love that I can use it around my pool without putting it in a waterproof case and not worry, and I'm not going back to a phone without this. If the next SE is losing the headphone jack, I would hope that it's getting water resistance.

If they release a SE with at least IP67 water resistance, I'm very certain I'll be getting one. I would miss 3D touch if it doesn't have that, but that's not a dealbreaker.

Although the SE isn’t IPXX rated, my SE did survive 5 minutes at the bottom of an irrigation ditch with no damage. There were only a few drops of water on the back of the display when I opened it up and no indicators were tripped. I was quite shocked really, I had a rubber case on but not a waterproof one at all.

 

[H818H]

I’m not sure I buy either rumor but if they did do a redesign to add wireless charging, they may have figured the internal space used by headphone jack might better be used to add more battery capacity and/or make it easier to waterproof.

But those (not you) who think it had to do with some conspiracy to push customers into buying AirPods are wrong, I think. The target market for the least expensive iPhone is not the market that would be buying AirPods.

Those who are just buying for size and not cost could/would buy them whether there’s a headphone jack or not. And the conspiracy theory that Apple removed the headphone jack to push AirPod sales never did make much sense, since Apple included a free adapter, in addition to Lightning headphones.

Conspiracy? It’s the most transparent business move ever.

They clearly removed the jack to boost wireless headphone sales. Removal of jack occurred at launch of airpods.

End. Of. Story.

Works for them on multiple levels - main one being it turns AirPod purchasers into repeat ‘subscribers’ (thanks, disposable li-ion batteries). Incredible profit margins, vs 3.5mm headphones which last forever.

No one ever complained about headphone cables - ever.

I never want to have to charge headphones. Ever.

3.5mm jack is a beautifully designed universal standard, found on all kinds of devices worldwide.

The provided dongle is absolutely no solution - what happens when you switch headphones from phone to laptop say....do you leave the dongle hanging from your $1000 phone? Or do you put it in your pocket until you can lose it?

It’s a total joke to think anybody can consider that dongle a viaible alternative to a 3.5mm jack. It’s a ******** gesture from Apple. The experience using a dongle is designed to further ‘encourage’ people to upgrade to their expensive, disposable Airpods.

No one is satisfied with using a dongle to use 3.5mm headphones.

If you have Airpods and like them, i’m pleased for you.

I don’t deny you your Airpods - don’t deny me my headphone jack.

Good design doesn’t get old.

We’re not desperate to ‘upgrade’ the wheel are we?

No one alive can justify the removal of that headphone jack for anything other than profit, and I challenge anyone to attempt to do so.

 

[Baymowe335]

It always gets the latest chip.

It won’t have the A11 chip.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Conspiracy? It’s the most transparent business move ever.

They clearly removed the jack to boost wireless headphone sales. Removal of jack occurred at launch of airpods.

End. Of. Story.

Works for them on multiple levels - main one being it turns AirPod purchasers into repeat ‘subscribers’ (thanks, disposable li-ion batteries). Incredible profit margins, vs 3.5mm headphones which last forever.

No one ever complained about headphone cables - ever.

I never want to have to charge headphones. Ever.

3.5mm jack is a beautifully designed universal standard, found on all kinds of devices worldwide.

The provided dongle is absolutely no solution - what happens when you switch headphones from phone to laptop say....do you leave the dongle hanging from your $1000 phone? Or do you put it in your pocket until you can lose it?

It’s a total joke to think anybody can consider that dongle a viaible alternative to a 3.5mm jack. It’s a ******** gesture from Apple. The experience using a dongle is designed to further ‘encourage’ people to upgrade to their expensive, disposable Airpods.

No one is satisfied with using a dongle to use 3.5mm headphones.

If you have Airpods and like them, i’m pleased for you.

I don’t deny you your Airpods - don’t deny me my headphone jack.

Good design doesn’t get old.

We’re not desperate to ‘upgrade’ the wheel are we?

No one alive can justify the removal of that headphone jack for anything other than profit, and I challenge anyone to attempt to do so.

Saying Apple removed the headphone jack to sell AirPods might make sense if they hadn’t included a free adapter for the 3.5mm plug, or free lightning headphones. But they did, so no one had to buy AirPods.

Other Bluetooth headphones are also available, some are under $10. No one was forced to buy Airpods. Buy whatever suits your ears/budget.

Literally, you can use any set of headphones other than AirPods, and they would still work with the newer iPhones (or the older iPhones that still had the jack).

But if Apple had killed the jack and made newer iPhones only work with AirPods—then I’d definitely agree with you.

 

[bigjnyc]

Hey, how about you just don’t buy it.
That will teach them a big lesson for sure.

Omg totally! You’re so right. I’ll stop having an opinion and stop discussing on a forum made for discussions and expressing your opinion. You’re a genius!

 

[Sam_S]

Please keep the 3.5mm headphone jack! If they remove it I don't think I'll ever buy another Apple product.

 

[kruegdude]

Please keep the 3.5mm headphone jack! If they remove it I don't think I'll ever buy another Apple product.

There’s a world of junk out there for you to choose from.
[doublepost=1524279883][/doublepost]

Conspiracy? It’s the most transparent business move ever.

They clearly removed the jack to boost wireless headphone sales. Removal of jack occurred at launch of airpods.

End. Of. Story.

Works for them on multiple levels - main one being it turns AirPod purchasers into repeat ‘subscribers’ (thanks, disposable li-ion batteries). Incredible profit margins, vs 3.5mm headphones which last forever.

No one ever complained about headphone cables - ever.

I never want to have to charge headphones. Ever.

3.5mm jack is a beautifully designed universal standard, found on all kinds of devices worldwide.

The provided dongle is absolutely no solution - what happens when you switch headphones from phone to laptop say....do you leave the dongle hanging from your $1000 phone? Or do you put it in your pocket until you can lose it?

It’s a total joke to think anybody can consider that dongle a viaible alternative to a 3.5mm jack. It’s a ******** gesture from Apple. The experience using a dongle is designed to further ‘encourage’ people to upgrade to their expensive, disposable Airpods.

No one is satisfied with using a dongle to use 3.5mm headphones.

If you have Airpods and like them, i’m pleased for you.

I don’t deny you your Airpods - don’t deny me my headphone jack.

Good design doesn’t get old.

We’re not desperate to ‘upgrade’ the wheel are we?

No one alive can justify the removal of that headphone jack for anything other than profit, and I challenge anyone to attempt to do so.

The 3.5mm is so great I’ve had it surgically implanted in my entire family.
[doublepost=1524279996][/doublepost]

I was about to replace my aging iPhone 5 with the new SE, but I simply cannot accept the notch. So I am going to wait for the next generation--sans notch--to upgrade, hoping that the old 5 will survive until then. If it breaks and Apple doesn't have a model without notch, I will consider switching to android.

The notch is here to stay *baby*!! Embrace or be left behind!

 

[EightyTwenty]

The SE was refreshed last year but it did not get the A10, Apple kept the A9.

The SE has never been “refreshed”.