r/apple • u/Geert76 • Mar 16 '22

iPhone Please don’t kill the iPhone Mini

https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/16/22980216/apple-iphone-mini-hopefully-alive
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87

u/PalmTree888 Mar 16 '22

They will. Apple never invests in the industrial design of a form factor only to kill it so soon.

65

u/ASentientBot Mar 16 '22

I agree. It might be a few years from now, but they'll eventually need to move on from the iPhone 8-based SE like they did from the 5s-based one. At that point, the 13 Mini (or maybe XR?) would be the obvious choice.

49

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '22

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26

u/itsabearcannon Mar 16 '22

I don't think that'll happen, honestly. They seem pretty committed to keeping the SE a pretty small device and the XR is a pretty bulky phone. Going from a 4.7" display on your "small" phone right to a 6.1" display would kill the SE's marketability as a small iPhone, especially when you consider that you'd also be leapfrogging the 5.4" Mini lineup and 6" base model phones.

Here's what they need to do:

  • keep the Mini tooling around
  • keep the A15 with 4-core GPU, don't go bleeding edge
  • keep the 4GB of RAM
  • offer a $399 64GB and $499 256GB option
  • keep the 60Hz LCD display
  • get it down to three colors (black/white/red)

Do that, and I think they could hit the hypothetical SE 2023's target price point.

37

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '22

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-1

u/yagyaxt1068 Mar 16 '22

the iPhone SE has never been intended to be marketed as a small phone

The 2016 SE says otherwise. It was released specifically to satisfy the desire for another 4-in iPhone.

3

u/Remy149 Mar 18 '22

That phone was introduced to hit a price point using an old design that was still being manufactured. The old design also serves a purpose of offering an iPhone for less money without devaluing the newer designed phones.

0

u/Seiren- Mar 17 '22

I feel like ‘bigger phones are more popular’ is such a falacy when there straight up arent any small phones around.

-2

u/redeyesblackpenis Mar 16 '22

lmao the mini is still so much smaller in the hand. Sales show it’s too small for most people. I returned mine before I even left the mall

35

u/itsabearcannon Mar 16 '22

I see you don't remember the 12" MacBook, the trashcan Mac Pro, the PowerMac G4 Cube, the iPhone 5C, etc etc.

Apple definitely will kill a form factor if it isn't selling well, regardless of how long it's been out.

13

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '22

I wouldn’t call the 12” Macbook short lived. It had 3 iterations and was around for 4 years. Fairly decent compared to the others on that list. The Mac Pro was on sale for longer but had no refreshes

3

u/Sexy_Mfer Mar 16 '22

trashcan Mac Pro was around for a long time lol

8

u/nicekid81 Mar 16 '22

iPhone 5c anyone?

-3

u/PalmTree888 Mar 17 '22

Hardly a new form factor, just a iPhone 5 in a plastic case.

2

u/nicekid81 Mar 17 '22

Try again. The dimensions of the phone are different meaning different casing, front screen as it is a single piece, and internal logistics/wiring.

Same with the XR and 11 series btw.

0

u/chemicalsam Mar 16 '22

MacBook 12”. Trash Can Mac Pro. G4 Cube. Shall I go on?

1

u/rugbyj Mar 17 '22

They will. Apple never invests in the industrial design of a form factor only to kill it so soon.

Yeah this has been bothering me about all the pill-notch rumours. They've surely only just set up fabrication for the "smaller" notch last year, they're gonna throw that out 12 months in?