Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

apple.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

321–330 of 419 posts

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#321

Post by JustSomeNobody »

kenips wrote: post #294
AnthonyMouse wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Selling a new small phone is a market problem for Apple. The form factor inherently makes it less expensive to manufacture. Bigger screens cost more etc. Which creates a pricing problem for them. If they price it like a small phone (i.e. lower price) they cannibalize sales of larger phones with higher total margins, and lose money. If they price it with the same total margin as the larger phones, it'd still be the lo…

Apple is close to solving the market problem with XR being a success. The next interaction of the XS line can offer a smaller version without cannibalizing mainstream iPhones, just like the current iPad line up.

Is it a success?

https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/09/iphone-xr-usage-overtakes-xs/

I can't pull up mixpanel trends right now for some reason, but looking at this graph doesn't lead me to believe the XR is very successful.

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#322

Post by donohoe »

lowercased wrote: post #286

I was just about to get a new iphone se from ebay. I need one compatible with AT&T, and can't for the life of me tell which one of the ones available would work for me. They show 'verizon' and 't-mobile' - which one of these would also work with AT&T network?

Not Verizon! The unlocked T-Mobile one would work.

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#323

Post by lowercased »

donohoe wrote: post #322
lowercased wrote: post #286

I was just about to get a new iphone se from ebay. I need one compatible with AT&T, and can't for the life of me tell which one of the ones available would work for me. They show 'verizon' and 't-mobile' - which one of these would also work with AT&T network?

Not Verizon! The unlocked T-Mobile one would work.

Thanks! I know there's a difference but couldn't remember which one was which. Is the verizon one CDMA and tmobile is GSM?

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#324

Post by bunderbunder »

throwawaymath wrote: post #318
emsy wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Selling a new small phone is a market problem for Apple. I'd argue that Apple making product decisions for mainly financial reasons is a recent problem. My memory could betray me though.

I disagree. Fundamentally, every company makes product decisions primarily for financial reasons. Apple has been focused on finances for most of its existence as an entity. If it appears they have become more focused on financial success recently, I would argue that's more likely due to market saturation than it is to any categorical change in their priorities. EDIT: Changed and removed some wording to make the tone…

> If it appears they have become more focused on financial success recently, that's more likely due to market saturation than it is to any categorical change in their priorities.

One could also cast it as an entirely predictable consequence of replacing a CEO who came up as a product person with one who came up as an operations person.

Apple's no stranger to saturating markets. They used to grow past that point, in part, by expanding into new markets that were peripherally related to the ones they already dominated in, and becoming a dominant player at those as well. They were remarkably good at it, too, with very few major missteps. They don't seem to be so good at that game anymore,though, so they're falling back on the top leadership's top skill: Expanding margins.

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#325

Post by digitalsushi »

PascLeRasc wrote: post #299
kgwxd wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

5S was the perfect size, if only it could run Linux.

Check out iSH, it's an Alpine Linux VM for iOS. It's a great SSH client.

The readme is terrifying though - at the bottom, the author admits how difficult it has become to debug, which makes me wonder if it's worth devoting my time to it if they will eventually grow tired of keeping the project up to date. It is difficult to get other contributors to adopt difficult code.

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#326

Post by simonh »

RubberbandSoul wrote: post #250
simonh wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then frankly they're not in the Apple target demographic. I know that sucks, but the iPhone is a gateway for customers who are willing to pay a premium for Apple products. The real danger for Apple would be compromising with a budget model at the entry level. It would kill their value proposition on the whole rest of their line. The closest they get is previous-year models and refurbs.

I think they run a real risk of diminishing returns. To use a car analogy; first they were the BMW of phones, then the Ferrari and maybe soon the Bugatti. Along the way consumers will start to tap out and leave Apple's ecosystem altogether. Maybe that's already set in motion, people are keeping their phones for much longer so it will take a while for the effects to be noticeable.

Selling 200m+ phones a year and owning 44% of the US domestic market is hardly 'Bugatti of Phones'.

What's tapping out is the pool of first time iPhone buyers, but fortunately for Apple, iPhones are very 'sticky'. Existing users are very highly likely to replace an iPhone with a new iPhone, and in fact the bulk of sales have been to previous iPhone owners for several years.

When people talk about iPhone sales slowing, they're taking about growth slowing. Actual sales are just levelling off. From here on out we'll see some ups and downs, sure. It looks like we're in for a period of economic risk and uncertainty too which isn't good for anyone, but I don't see any good reason to expect a sustained decline compared to the rest of the market.

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#327

Post by SamuelAdams »

acqq wrote: post #201
dijit wrote: post #124

I’m going to add to the dogpile here and add: I am really not sure how I can vote with my wallet more than I currently do. I had a 5S; upgraded to a 6S and spent a year with it, but I really hated the size of the phone and realised that small phones were entirely gone by the end of my time with the 6S. I tried Android for a while but it was Samsung’s Android and was not for me, I was frustrated and annoyed after ever…

It's not just the size, which is prefect for a phone where you intentionally want to limit the screen time and to limit the total weight - There's an earphone jack. - The battery consumption is reasonable. - It has completely flat backside, so it's usable without the case. - It's easier to repair. - It can be put standing on its side for a photo triggered by a timer. I also don't know how to "signal" that I like it i…

It's possible to repair this? My iPhone SE's sleep / wake button died just last Friday. I took it to an Apple store and they basically said my only options were to buy a refurbished phone or a new phone.

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#328

Post by DanTheManPR »

paultopia wrote: post #129

I am a big dude with big hands, I love my XS. BUT: people with less big hands and especially women have expressed the sentiment that is showing up frequently in this thread about the smaller form factor being better---and I really don't understand why Apple is so reluctant to build for half its user base!

This is a common issue in design of objects that interface with your hands - whether consciously or not, they typically get designed either large for men's hands, or small for women's hands. A cordless drill and and handheld kitchen mixer have the same type of interface, but the diameter of the grips of the latter are almost always smaller because of the assumptions about what sort of person is going to interact with it. What's frustrating about the smartphone market these days is that no-one seems to be making high-end phones that cater to people with small hands, especially when that's as much as half the market!

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#329

Post by emsy »

throwawaymath wrote: post #318
emsy wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Selling a new small phone is a market problem for Apple. I'd argue that Apple making product decisions for mainly financial reasons is a recent problem. My memory could betray me though.

I disagree. Fundamentally, every company makes product decisions primarily for financial reasons. Apple has been focused on finances for most of its existence as an entity. If it appears they have become more focused on financial success recently, I would argue that's more likely due to market saturation than it is to any categorical change in their priorities. EDIT: Changed and removed some wording to make the tone…

This is a rather condescending reply, and I hope next time you try to understand what I wrote before trying to lecture me.

Re: Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again

#330

Post by jak92 »

donohoe wrote: post #322
lowercased wrote: post #286

I was just about to get a new iphone se from ebay. I need one compatible with AT&T, and can't for the life of me tell which one of the ones available would work for me. They show 'verizon' and 't-mobile' - which one of these would also work with AT&T network?

Not Verizon! The unlocked T-Mobile one would work.

What specific issues with new bands would some of the unlocked versions have? Say Verizon on Sprint, vice versa, and T-Mobile on AT&T?
Post reply on HN