The 4-inch handset which Apple is rumored to be announcing next month will now be called not the “iPhone 5SE”, but instead simply the “iPhone SE”, according to 9to5Mac writer Mark Gurman.
Gurman, who has a good record of accurate reports about future Apple products and announcements, cites his sources claiming that Apple has decided to drop the “5” from the name. Though the reasoning behind the change is unclear, the sources reportedly said that another iPhone 5 variant could have confused customers.
The “SE” here appears to stand for “special edition”, and the overall name could be intended to indicate that the handset enhances simply a “classic” iPhone rather than the iPhone 5S specifically. The absence of a number in the name could also theoretically help to relieve Apple of an obligation to update the 4-inch iPhone line on a yearly basis.
