There Is No iPhone 14 Mini: Here's Why [Updated]

[blairh]

It had no competition and sold 13 million units. People who bought apple that wouldn't have bought apple otherwise.
Edit: Someone who has no interest in a small phone wouldn't buy a small phone just because it is cheaper. Because they can get a bigger phone also for cheap, that suits their needs more.


Is that wishful thinking on your part?

Otherwise, it'll be just a loss for apple. When it comes to replacing my iphone 12 mini in a few years and nobody is offering a small phone, then that requirement will be dropped. And suddenly, the fairphone will emerge as a strong competitor again - and then the same thing will happen that is the problem of the mac books.
Bigger phones are easier to produce, apple doesn't have the tech lead there and the competition can outprice them in terms of TCO.

The uncertainty of a future capable iphone mini is also one argument that speaks against buying an apple watch for me.

You really don’t want to accept the fact that iPhone Mini has been a failure to date for Apple. Not sure why this is so hard for you to comprehend and accept.

My statement that the days of the high end iPhone Mini being over is simply a fact. Apple didn’t bother to make an iPhone 14 Mini and there is no reason why they would ever do so again. They either transition the Mini to become a more affordable option that they update every 3 years or it is gone for good in due time.

 

[Bento.Box]

You really don’t want to accept the fact that iPhone Mini has been a failure to date for Apple. Not sure why this is so hard for you to comprehend and accept.

Because it wasn't.

My statement that the days of the high end iPhone Mini being over is simply a fact. Apple didn’t bother to make an iPhone 14 Mini and there is no reason why they would ever do so again. They either transition the Mini to become a more affordable option that they update every 3 years or it is gone for good in due time.

Just because it doesn't make sense doing an iPhone 14 mini (my phone is not even 2 years old and, apart from more ram, the iphone 14 has little to offer), it doesn't mean that it's not viable to make another mini in the future.

If I want a good, small phone, I'm not going to buy a bad one because it's cheaper. If I want a big phone, it doesn't mean I buy one that is more expensive if I have good choices.

 

[blairh]

Because it wasn't.



Just because it doesn't make sense doing an iPhone 14 mini (my phone is not even 2 years old and, apart from more ram, the iphone 14 has little to offer), it doesn't mean that it's not viable to make another mini in the future.

If I want a good, small phone, I'm not going to buy a bad one because it's cheaper. If I want a big phone, it doesn't mean I buy one that is more expensive if I have good choices.

Did you not read how small the percentage of sales the Mini has represented? Do you not see Apple has declined to make a new Mini? In what universe is the iPhone Mini not a failure?!?!

I said there will never be a high end iPhone Mini ever again. I do think there is a chance they keep it around and simply update it every 3 years. But even then they won’t make it high end. They will want it to start at a lower price point in due time. It failed when it cost $700 to start. Those days are over for good.

 

[im_to_hyper]

d

hoping next year the mini to become the next SE

Oh I so hope so also. I have a 12 mini... was really excited for a 14 mini... but... sadly... that's a no-go.

 

[Bento.Box]

Did you not read how small the percentage of sales the Mini has represented?

Did you not read that they sold 13 Million units?

I said there will never be a high end iPhone Mini ever again. I do think there is a chance they keep it around and simply update it every 3 years. But even then they won’t make it high end. They will want it to start at a lower price point in due time. It failed when it cost $700 to start. Those days are over for good.

That's just wishful thinking of you to not see another "high end" iphone mini. It would be easier to just fit their current iphone in a smaller case, rather than developing a cheaper one separately (more R&D costs) that would then make less revenue per unit and probably get sold less, as it is less desireable.

 

[blairh]

Did you not read that they sold 13 Million units?



That's just wishful thinking of you to not see another "high end" iphone mini. It would be easier to just fit their current iphone in a smaller case, rather than developing a cheaper one separately (more R&D costs) that would then make less revenue per unit and probably get sold less, as it is less desireable.

So this is my final reply to you because you clearly simply do not get it or don't want to accept the fact that you are just dead wrong on this front.

Apple wasn't even going to release an iPhone 13 Mini but they had to because they decide these things in advance. Not my assumption, it's literally stated in this article.

13 million is a total failure for the iPhone Mini. End of story. The iPhone 12 and 13 Mini were massive sales failures for Apple. If Apple felt the high end iPhone Mini had a future, then they would have made an iPhone 14 Mini.

I have no idea where this 'wishful thinking' notion is even coming from. It's clearly never going to happen again. It didn't happen this fall because that strategy failed for two years. So in what world is Apple ever going to try that again? They won't. I've said that multiple times now. How you can't comprehend that is truly beyond me.

Making an iPhone Mini less powerful does not make it less desirable. That's nonsense. The main appeal of the iPhone Mini is the size. With all the bells and whistles of the flagship iPhone 12 and 13, it failed. So again, that is never happening again.

Apple can still offer the Mini size with less features. At the end of the day, people are buying the Mini for the size. It clearly did not sell well when it's the Mini version of the flagship. And it makes no sense to make an iPhone Mini Pro and have it cost even more. That device would sell even less.

So Apple has the potential to keep the Mini in the lineup, offer it for less, and update it every 3 years. They either do that or the Mini will be gone for good in their lineup in due time.

And with that, I'm out. Peace.

 

[Bento.Box]

So this is my final reply to you because you clearly simply do not get it or don't want to accept the fact that you are just dead wrong on this front.

You're the only one who is wrong .

It doesn't make financial sense selling a product that has a limited audience at a cheaper pricepoint and further limiting the audience by making it worse.

And with that, I'm out. Peace.

Goodbye.

 

[42545]

hoping next year the mini to become the next SE

I think so too. but I'm also wondering what Apple will cut down on. LCD screen, single camera, possibly A15 chip like iPhone 13... Hey iPhone 13 mini is out there and better. 😎

 

[bobdobalina]

I would be happy if Apple introduced a new iPhone mini every 2 - 3 years.

As long as it has a SIM card slot.

 

[Qu1ckset]

Welp looks like il be upgrading from my 256gb 12 mini to the 512gb 13 mini and will not be upgrading for a very very long time

 

[Beyo]

There is always a choice. I still use my SE 1rst gen. in April it start it 8th year of use Changing phones every year is bad for the planet.

 

[siddavis]

Tricky, as next SE is rumoured for spring 2023 and 13 mini will still be sold until September 2023. Besides, 12-13 minis must be quite expensive to make.

Ha! Would pair well with the Siri Music plan.

 

[Rigby]

I guess I have to accept that the market has spoken, but I'll never understand it. The 13 Mini is such a great phone. Smaller form factor than the iPhone 8 or SE2, but significantly more screen real estate. Specs on the same level as the regular 13. Good battery life, fast charging. You hardly notice it's there when carrying it in a pocket. It's the phone I always wanted, and now Apple is abandoning it.

 

[BenTrovato]

I guess I have to accept that the market has spoken, but I'll never understand it. The 13 Mini is such a great phone. Smaller form factor than the iPhone 8 or SE2, but significantly more screen real estate. Specs on the same level as the regular 13. Good battery life, fast charging. You hardly notice it's there when carrying it in a pocket. It's the phone I always wanted, and now Apple is abandoning it.

I don’t think Apple’s abandoning it, but it doesn’t make sense to update it every year. It’s only a failed product if it costed Apple more than they made off the device which is nearly impossible when you sell 13 million units from an even bigger production line. People saying 13 million units is a failure by Apple’s standards forget it’s not about how successful the product is, it’s about keeping 13 million people in the ecosystem whether that means they upgraded, stayed, or switched to Apple.

The mini 14 was never going to make sense, it would have the same processor as the 13 and the same form factor. What’s the point when they can just keep the mini ‘13 in the lineup? I don’t think we’ve seen the end of mini’s. They’ll either be rebranded as SE’s as they do away with the home button or just release a smaller form factor every other year.

 

[FreedomPenguin]

I don’t think Apple’s abandoning it, but it doesn’t make sense to update it every year. It’s only a failed product if it costed Apple more than they made off the device which is nearly impossible when you sell 13 million units from an even bigger production line. People saying 13 million units is a failure by Apple’s standards forget it’s not about how successful the product is, it’s about keeping 13 million people in the ecosystem whether that means they upgraded, stayed, or switched to Apple.

The mini 14 was never going to make sense, it would have the same processor as the 13 and the same form factor. What’s the point when they can just keep the mini ‘13 in the lineup? I don’t think we’ve seen the end of mini’s. They’ll either be rebranded as SE’s as they do away with the home button or just release a smaller form factor every other year.

id be happy with a 3-4 year rotation. I keep my phones that long. ie. 2021 13mini, 2025 14mini, 2029 15mini.

I will not upgrade phone sizes and look like im carrying a fricken tablet in my pocket. android boys can keep that look. sorry apple, you are copying the big phone trend.

I think its mainly the people who cant afford a laptop, and if they need 1 thing, they get a phone. but for those with laptops, a mini makes sense to me. I guess. I still would rather a mini than anything though.

 

[skiguy45]

I am a male with medium sized hands. To me, my former 12 Pro (6.1 inch) felt like a miniature toy after using my 13PM for a day. The 13PM felt perfectly normal, not huge, after using it for just a day. Interesting how some people adapt easier than others, even if we don't have large hands.

I have very large hands and still
The 6.1 inch feels too big.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

Correct me if I’m wrong but I feel like the marketing wasn’t really there for the duration of the two generations of mini. Certainly not how it seems to be already with the 14 series (e.g. “Big and Bigger“; the fisheye presentation of the devices during the keynote).

Exactly. It was treated as a second class citizen with incorrect pricing (IMO) to do well. They can't possibly wonder why people didn't jump on it. I'm going to have to buy a 13 Mini now with no 14 Mini. SMH.

 

[Apple_Jacks]

I like how everyone who dislikes the mini and just wants to see it gone (no idea why because I bet they worshiped the thumb reach a few years ago) keeps resorting back to 13 million sales being low.

I really hope you all pointing that out aren't running businesses or making decisions. Yes, it's a low number, yet no one is really asking why. Hell, I don't even think Apple knows why. I know why I was reluctant to buy it:

1. No pro features. The cameras are meh just like the iPhone 13.
2. Mini branding sucks if you want to attract a large audience. Just call it iPhone s.
3. Lack of promotion (no, not ProMotion, but that too). There was near zero promotion on why a smaller phone was great.

5.4" screen is awesome, the size is great for daily use, the weight is perfect. The features are simply lacking. You killed demand with branding and didn't customers back in with premium features or any marketing. It's not that hard of a concept.

 

[ds2000]

What did Apple expect when they gimped the device. A mini pro would have probably been their top seller.

 

[Spike1999]

I upgraded from 11 to 13 mini recently, I prefer the smaller size, I never understood the hype around having such large phones personally.

 

[Damian83]

Nobody wants a tiny phone with less than stellar battery life. The folks who want a phone like that think they’re the majority and act like there’s a huge market for it. Delusion at its finest.

I still dont understand why a phone battery autonomy is such a relevant thing. I mean: everyone became homeless or everyone became so lobotomized to permanently look just at the phone....

 

[ginkobiloba]

The mini is a great example that the cries and desires of a small portion of readers on an Apple rumors site often don't gel with what tens of millions of consumers – who don't spend their time reading about tech or Apple – want.

“ The Mac is a great example that the cries and desires of a small number of readers on a computer rumors site often don't gel with what tens of millions of PC users – who don't spend their time reading about tech or Apple – want.”

With such a tiny computer market share compared to PCs, Apple should stop making the Mac immediately.

 

[djgamble]

Screw all this cr*p about there being no market. We’ll never actually know if that’s the case or not, because Apple never gave the Pro crowd the option of buying a smaller device. The assumption that mini owners wouldn’t want better cameras or other premium features included in the Pro lineup means that Apple only tested the non-Pro crowd, who are more likely to be business users / slow upgraders.

There should have been a mini variant of the Pro. It’s that simple.

It’s high time Apple used their wizardry to go back to a dual-camera form factor to only include the ultra-wide and a telephoto lenses. They could definitely find ample middle ground between lenses using software at this point.

Agreed mate. We're still talking millions of sales.

Maybe we're a niche market compared to the flagship models, but millions of us exist.

 

[solarmon]

If people such as myself (and wife) upgrade and buy the remaining 13 minis, and make them more popular than the new iPhone 14 Suitcase (that’s what I call it), perhaps Apple’s marketing people will change their minds? Doubt it, but that’s what we will be doing.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Short answer: No one bought the 13 Mini.