iPhone SE (2016) New SE2 Rumor?

[Apple_Robert]

NOPE!

Apple does listen to its customers. Meanwhile, all of the people who waste their lives playing games on huge phones should: 1. Grow up 2. Why would you care what other people want in a device? You’re not making any new friends this way.

I am fine with my device and am not looking for acceptance or reassurance I made the right decision.

I own an SE. I don't hate it. It serves a purpose. In my opinion, it's not coming back. And if you want Apple to listen, contact them directly. Posting on MR hoping Apple sees it is not the best approach.

The OP read a vague article and ran with it (so to speak). And many of the respondents here followed suit. I get that many here love their SE. Nothing wrong with that. However, there comes a time when the proverbial writing is on the wall and its time to let go and move on. Creating thread after thread about bringing back the SE isn't going to change what is. The people in MR land are the minority.

 

[44267547]

but scrap wireless charging, 3D Touch, fancy glass housings, etc and just make it a basic home button phone that can sell for $349 - $399 for the 4.7” model..

I’m all for that, and the price point is just as important as the size factor is, but the one qualm I have with your post, is I don’t think they will reuse the home button for the iPhone “Se 2”. Theoretically, Tim Cook said Face ID is the future, if it is, then I don’t see any room for them to include touch ID in any future iPhones. Which would resort to face ID, but even if they were to use face ID, I still think all the other features you mentioned that should be deleted in order to retain that price point in a smaller form factor is equally important.

 

[EssModelsRule]

I’m all for that, and the price point is just as important as the size factor is, but the one qualm Inhave with your post, is I don’t think they will reuse the home button for the iPhone “Se 2”. Theoretically, Tim Cook said Face ID is the future, if it is, then I don’t see any room for them to include touch ID in any future iPhones. Which would resort to face ID, but even if they were to use face ID, I still think all the other features you mentioned that should be deleted in order to retain that price point in a smaller form factor is equally important.

What I’m trying to think through is how can Apple satisfy two completely different customers. Some people want a $350-$400 dollar phone tops, while others want a full-featured modern small phone. A single device can no longer do both of those things the way SE did in 2016. It is/was a truly special edition but Apple’s pushed the upper end too far now.

 

[subjonas]

I am fine with my device and am not looking for acceptance or reassurance I made the right decision.

I own an SE. I don't hate it. It serves a purpose. In my opinion, it's not coming back. And if you want Apple to listen, contact them directly. Posting on MR hoping Apple sees it is not the best approach.

The OP read a vague article and ran with it (so to speak). And many of the respondents here followed suit. I get that many here love their SE. Nothing wrong with that. However, there comes a time when the proverbial writing is on the wall and its time to let go and move on. Creating thread after thread about bringing back the SE isn't going to change what is. The people in MR land are the minority.

People are free here to make thread after thread about bringing back the Newton if they want. No one is forcing anyone to read anything.

 

[Apple_Robert]

People are free here to make thread after thread about bringing back the Newton if they want. No one is forcing anyone to read anything.

Why state the obvious, when I didn't say people couldn't do otherwise? I posted a contrary view that several here didn't like and seemed to take personally. I find that rather strange behavior when the subject is an electronic device.

 

[dcpmark]

However, there comes a time when the proverbial writing is on the wall and its time to let go and move on. Creating thread after thread about bringing back the SE isn't going to change what is.

See, the thing is, you don’t really know that. You are certainly entitled to an opinion, and are free to express it, but the reality is you have no clue whether the interest shown through “creating thread after thread” will influence Apple’s production decisions. For all you know, there is a person or are persons at Apple whose sole job is to monitor Apple-based message boards to gather marketing information. Maybe all the clamoring for smaller phones, with sales of current phones dropping like rock and combined with people switching back to smaller phones, will give Apple the incentive to market a new PREMIUM small phone. Who knows? Not me, and not you.

It’s strange that some posters feel the need to post that there are too many SE threads, instead of just ignoring them. I can’t imagine going into a thread about any other phone for any reason, much less to say that there are too many of those threads, even though most of those phones have been discontinued as well. I have no idea why the concept of the SE, or the love for a current small iPhone, is so threatening to some posters.

Let me take you back to a time when Apple was NEVER going to make big phones.....I wouldn’t be so sure they will NEVER build a small phone again:

https://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/jobs-no-ones-going-to-buy-a-big-phone/

 

[Apple_Robert]

See, the thing is, you don’t really know that. You are certainly entitled to an opinion, and are free to express it, but the reality is you have no clue whether the interest shown through “creating thread after thread” will influence Apple’s production decisions. For all you know, there is a person or are persons at Apple whose sole job is to monitor Apple-based message boards to gather marketing information. Maybe all the clamoring for smaller phones, with sales of current phones dropping like rock and combined with people switching back to smaller phones, will give Apple the incentive to market a new PREMIUM small phone. Who knows? Not me, and not you.

It’s strange that some posters feel the need to post that there are too many SE threads, instead of just ignoring them. I can’t imagine going into a thread about any other phone for any reason, much less to say that there are too many of those threads, even though most of those phones have been discontinued as well. I have no idea why the concept of the SE, or the love for a current small iPhone, is so threatening to some posters.

I have the SE. I am not threatened by opposing viewpoints. On the other hand, there many here who take contrary viewpoint personally when it comes to the SE. Many here do the same with other phones. They are just devices. In my opinion, some people get way too emotionally attached to electronic devices.

I am voicing opinion as others are and have been. Nothing strange about coming into a thread about SE's and posting contrary opinion.

Some Apple employees may view and read the forums. I stand by my post about making direct contact with Apple.

 

[s54]

Creating thread after thread about bringing back the SE isn't going to change what is.

You can say the same about the majority of threads created on MR. We may as well abandon this website and never post anything with this sort of mentality.

Creating thread after thread with complaints targeted at the iPhone XS Max screens and body has, to date, resulted in Apple addressing none of them. Might as well tell those people to stop creating threads.

 

[subjonas]

Why state the obvious, when I didn't say people couldn't do otherwise? I posted a contrary view that several here didn't like and seemed to take personally. I find that rather strange behavior when the subject is an electronic device.

Yes, you didn’t outright say that they couldn’t—but you were discouraging the creation of this and similar threads. That’s different from just stating your disagreement with the OP. One is trying to stifle discussion, while the other promotes it.

Still you’re free to try to discourage discussion (to an extent, according to forum rules). But I’m also free to discourage discouragement.

 

[Apple_Robert]

You can say the same about the majority of threads created on MR. We may as well abandon this website and never post anything with this sort of mentality.

Creating thread after thread with complaints targeted at the iPhone XS Max screens and body has, to date, resulted in Apple addressing none of them. Might as well tell those people to stop creating threads.

And I often do go into many other threads stating to the OP, that he or she could have and should have posted in one the many established threads, instead of creating another thread. The search feature for the forum works very well.

If responders want to try and nitpick my posts to try and discredit my contrary opinion, have at it. You won't be able to accomplish the goal.

As a SE owner, I am voicing my opinion that many zealous SE owners need to let go and move forward. No reason to get defensive and act like I personally insulted someone when I didn't. That is the point I have made several times already. I am not going to keep repeating myself.

 

[dcpmark]

I have the SE. I am not threatened by opposing viewpoints. On the other hand, there many here who take contrary viewpoint personally when it comes to the SE. Many here do the same with other phones. They are just devices. In my opinion, some people get way too emotionally attached to electronic devices.

I am voicing opinion as others are and have been. Nothing strange about coming into a thread about SE's and posting contrary opinion.

Some Apple employees may view and read the forums. I stand by my post about making direct contact with Apple.

There is nothing wtong with offering up the opinion that the SE is not coming back, or that small phones aren’t coming back, or the opinion that direct contact with Apple is probably more effective. But saying there are too many threads is not an opposing viewpoint or a contrarian opinion....it’s an attempt to stifle something you’ve deemed unimportant, irrelevant, or somehow bothersome to you. And I will continue to point this out because I refuse to let people bully those of us who want smaller phones.

 

[Apple_Robert]

There is nothing wtong with offering up the opinion that the SE is not coming back, or that small phones aren’t coming back, or the opinion that direct contact with Apple is probably more effective. But saying there are too many threads is not an opposing viewpoint or a contrarian opinion....it’s an attempt to stifle something you’ve deemed unimportant, irrelevant, or somehow bothersome to you. And I will continue to point this out because I refuse to let people bully those of us who want smaller phones.

I haven't bullied anyone. You are exaggerating what has occurred here.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I’d like to discourage the discouragement of discouraging attempts to discourage.

I think...

This is very discouraging.

 

[subjonas]

There is nothing wtong with offering up the opinion that the SE is not coming back, or that small phones aren’t coming back, or the opinion that direct contact with Apple is probably more effective. But saying there are too many threads is not an opposing viewpoint or a contrarian opinion....it’s an attempt to stifle something you’ve deemed unimportant, irrelevant, or somehow bothersome to you. And I will continue to point this out because I refuse to let people bully those of us who want smaller phones.

I’d add that we should guard against any stifling of (non-harmful) discussion, whether or not we agree with the stifled.

I haven't bullied anyone. You are exaggerating what has occurred here.

Yeah I wouldn’t say it was bullying. It wasn’t that extreme. Dcpmark was probably talking in general or using the term loosely.

 

[dcpmark]

I haven't bullied anyone. You are exaggerating what has occurred here.

Agreed.....I was referring in general to the whining of “there are too many SE threads” by numerous other posters.....yours was more innocuous and certainly unintended. I just meant that I will call attention to anyone appearing to attempt to stifle SE threads that are occurring organically.

 

[s54]

The fact that the SE has created more fuss and controversy than any other older iPhone in recently memory only shows how important the small size factor is to many people.

This goes for iPhones that were discontinued or still being sold.

 

[LizKat]

I’d like to discourage the discouragement of discouraging attempts to discourage.

I think...

This is very discouraging.

Wait until I start a thread (in proper forum) about why the 2nd gen nano s/b revived...

On the thread topic here: I'll usually drop tools and immediately go read any rumor about the SE coming back. I like reading about it on my XR in the meantime. Love the yellow color and the speed of response on the XR, still fantasize about seeing it in SE size.

 

[Mac 128]

What I’m trying to think through is how can Apple satisfy two completely different customers. Some people want a $350-$400 dollar phone tops, while others want a full-featured modern small phone. A single device can no longer do both of those things the way SE did in 2016. It is/was a truly special edition but Apple’s pushed the upper end too far now.

That was sort of my other point. I’m not sure Apple can do both as you surmise.

The SE was the continuation of a 4 year old phone, with only a few major spec bumps. So Apple was able to keep the price low. People who claim the discontinuation of a 7 year old phone is proof there’s no market for a small phone, or that the only reason people buy it is because it’s cheap are ignoring the circumstances of its existence.

My suggestion is also for Apple to make a new small premium phone, the one you want, at a premium price, but still on the low end of the spectrum — as you suggested. Then Apple depreciates that phone the way the used to until the smallest cheapest, phone to make is the cheapest phone they sell.

In the meantime, Apple removes the SE from the market so there’s no cheap, small alternative for customers who prefer a small phone, and willing to accept less features. Customers who want a cheap phone will have to buy the 7, and accept the trade off that it’s larger than the SE, which will make some happy, while for others it won’t be large enough, and for others still, it won’t be small enough — but those are he knocks. Meanwhile, the small phone customers who had to accept less than the latest features with the SE, will get a small phone that costs more.

 

[44267547]

The fact that the SE has created more fuss and controversy than any other older iPhone in recently memory only shows how important the small size factor is to many people..

And that’s a valid observation, but all that matters is _this_.....does Apple care enough to revive a smaller (Under 5”) form factor of an iPhone? Fantasizing and discussing about a future iPhone SE is great, because I understand the passion, but does Apple.....Care? I would say they at this point they don’t and they made it evidently clear when they could easily have continued to sell the SE if they wanted to, but by them discontinuing it speaks milestones that smaller iPhones are not in their best interests. But why?

In today’s generation of Apple under Cook, and what they do care about, is capitalizing on generating revenue, and the original SE was not executing that in terms of productivity in all likeliness. That’s the bottom line. As much as the SE is a highly favored phone for a small demographic, it still will always be a minority in the smart phone realm.

And based on my own anecodote, if there was any evidence of a smaller iPhone to be revived at some point, there be more credible/lucrative leaks or rumors by now, and there hasn’t been hardly anything but juvenile CAD renders and mockups by artists. And I’m not trying to be dismissive about the SE, as that’s not my intention, but I’m being a realist given that the SE [Or a smaller iPhone] has no future at all right now given Apples trajectory with larger phones and sizes of 5.8/6.1/6.5.

Now, don’t take my post as being negative, look at it like a realistic side outside a tech site, if you put yourself in the position of how Apple is as a company today, their focus isn’t on smaller iPhones, not when the comes to capitalizing (Yes, that’s a key word I used twice now) on profit margins and pleasing investors.

To me, it’s not compelling enough for the minimalistic minority who want a smaller iPhone to alter Apple’s perception based on how they look at a smaller iPhone producing profit, and the general idea of why was discontinued in 2018, was because it wasn’t.

 

[arkitect]

And that’s a valid observation, but all that matters is _this_.....does Apple care enough to revive a smaller (Under 5”) form factor of an iPhone? Fantasizing and discussing about a future iPhone SE is great, because I understand the passion, but does Apple.....Care?

Correct.

As an avid SE fan, I really hope they care enough to bring an SE2 out.

Holding my breath? Nope.

Waiting and seeing what might, just might, pop out in the next few months? Sure.

If nothing, then, well, I'll be reconsidering my options.

 

[LizKat]

To me, it’s not compelling enough for the minimalistic minority who want a smaller iPhone to alter Apple’s perception based on how they look at a smaller iPhone producing profit, and the general idea of why was discontinued in 2918, was because it wasn’t.

Bottom line is that money walks when the product line disappoints, so Apple would have to see if sales of smaller devices made by other manufacturers were picking up. Of course by time they got enough stats on that, people who went for the SE could be doddering in nursing homes.

Meanwhile we may all gradually have caved in and got *something* else from Apple's iPhone line, but we'll have diverged in our choices so that our strong preference for a smaller form factor in phones becomes diffuse over time, i.e., Apple looks at us variously as just consumers who "oh, didn't spring for the XS Max, took the XR" or "oh, went for the refurb, took the 8" and so forth.

 

[Mac 128]

Bottom line is that money walks when the product line disappoints, so Apple would have to see if sales of smaller devices made by other manufacturers were picking up. Of course by time they got enough stats on that, people who went for the SE could be doddering in nursing homes.

Meanwhile we may all gradually have caved in and got *something* else from Apple's iPhone line, but we'll have diverged in our choices so that our strong preference for a smaller form factor in phones becomes diffuse over time, i.e., Apple looks at us variously as just consumers who "oh, didn't spring for the XS Max, took the XR" or "oh, went for the refurb, took the 8" and so forth.

And a 7 year old phone model (5/5S/SE), disappoints. We continue to see the narrative that Apple would not have discontinued a phone model if it were selling well, as a specious reason why Apple won’t make another small phone, as if the fact that it is small is the only reason it was discontinued, as if a 7 year old design and aging features had nothing to do with it.

It’s an interesting argument, but one that goes out on a limb without all the facts, and relies on anecdotal observation. As far as I know, Apple is still selling the SE worldwide through authorized resellers, and may even be actively manufacturing it for some developing markets. The fact Apple is liquidating inventory in the US, of an essentially 7 year old phone, prior to a rumored March “event” might even suggest they are clearing the way to launch a new smaller phone as a replacement. But I would never conclude that for a certainty. They may just be trying to get the inventory carried over from the 1st quarter off the books during a traditional weak 2nd quarter.

Whatever the case, I think it’s too early to write off a new <5” display phone in a small case design from Apple. Suggesting that also suggests killing off some of Apple’s best selling current screen sizes, the 6/6s/7 & 8, which could easily fit into smaller cases with Apple’s current technology. Are we ready to claim that there will never be another phone that size too?

 

[LizKat]

Whatever the case, I think it’s too early to write off a new <5” display phone in a small case design from Apple. Suggesting that also suggests killing off some of Apple’s best selling current screen sizes, the 6/6s/7 & 8, which could easily fit into smaller cases with Apple’s current technology. Are we ready to claim that there will never be another phone that size too?

Time either curates or cures all rumors, doesn't it. We can't know if Apple does have plans to re-intro the SE here after some update. They might have meant to and didn't have troops to spare on rolling out the changes while updating the line to showcase the X phones. Or they're accommodating a known relatively small SE-sized market here in the states and so offloading some excess inventory that is now meant more for certain Asian markets.

Maybe a lot of people stateside are like me and still thinking about the downsides of our now larger phones like even the XR. But then again maybe a lot of people really are big fans of that extra real estate for multitasking or just use by apps that require more display. If we just don't want an iPad mini as a "Handoff" option when our smaller iPhone feels cramped or doesn't cut it for a particular task, or just don't like having to maintain two devices' software and hardware paths, then we may well figure the outsized X phones are just the ticket (maybe with a bigger handbag or jeans with bigger pockets). "maybe maybe maybe..." LOL