Given the good sales of the latest 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones, it’s understandable for many people to question whether sufficient demand still exists for a 4-inch alternative. However, we reckon that the rumored “iPhone SE”, far from a misstep, could spark yet another revolution in the now almost decade-long history of the iPhone.
There could soon be an iPhone for everyone
Thanks to the large “Plus” iPhones, many of us are finding it easier than ever to use our handsets for browsing the web, watching video, and even productivity – many of the tasks for which an iPad had previously seemed more suitable than an iPhone. However, there likely remain people who consider the size of the “Plus” iPhones too much of a compromise. These handsets are, for example, difficult to use one-handed – while the attraction of their large screens is less obvious for those of us who already own and love iPads.
Furthermore, Apple has long shown a willingness to offer, for each of its product lines, broad choice in terms of features and price points. The “iPhone without the phone” iPod Touch, by way of example, is at the opposite end of the scale to the tiny and stripped-down iPod Shuffle; meanwhile, Apple’s release of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro came after years of 7.9-inch iPad Mini models. The iPhone range, by comparison, currently lacks an obvious smaller, cheaper variant besides the now two-generations-old iPhone 5S.
For those of us who favor tradition…
In fact, the likeliest name for the new device, the “iPhone SE”, alone strongly hints at Apple’s intent to fill this glaring gap. As Macworld points out, even when Apple was seeing sales of the original iPod line flying during the 2000s, it didn’t focus exclusively on the premium segment; instead, with models like the iPod Mini and, later, the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle, various markets were eagerly catered for.
So strong was Apple’s focus on diversification that it continued to, alongside all of these new variants, maintain the original iPod line – later rebranding it as the iPod Classic. This name is actually reminiscent of the rumored “iPhone SE” moniker – the “SE” tag said to stand for “special edition”. A special edition, that is, of a more traditional-sized iPhone, rather than any of the recently-released 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch models. Even after many of us have moved onto bigger iPhones, Apple is now readying the iPhone version of the iPod Classic…
