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iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

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Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear you and I agree on the surface but I really wish Apple better understood 2 things: 1. Not every device can be your best seller 2. Some product categories are important to fill even if sales are low (even very low) Apple doesn’t release per-device breakdowns so it’s hard to have conversations on this topic but I’d bet money that the Mini (or another example: the Mac Pro) sold at levels that most companies would…

But is a sale of a mini at the cost of a non-mini? Like if 3/4 of the mini buyer would have just gotten the next smallest form factor then you might not want the large time responsibility of another product.

I understand that, and obviously the line has to be drawn somewhere. I just think a company of Apple’s size/means is perfectly capable of maintaining and producing a mini for the people that want it. Then again, that’s easy for me to say I don’t run Apple.

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree! People also criticize Apple harshly for not massively redesigning the iPhone every year. That's a positive in my view.

Then they shouldn't release one every year.

I know this is not going to happen for obvious marketing reasons but they should just drop the number, call it iPhone and stop making these pointless presentations. Then just drop a press release when they tweak something worth knowing about. Everything is so incremental that doing entirely presentations feels rather dumb.

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#53

Remake the form factor of the 4S and we’ll talk. That’s the last phone that was comfortable to hold.

Apple listened. They made the 12 Mini and it sold poorly. But persevered and released the 13 Mini. Again, it sold poorly, so they gave up. Don’t blame Apple here, vast majority want gigantic phones.

The iPhone 13 Mini has a 50% larger screen than the 4S. I have quite large hands, and it's still difficult to use it with one hand and it also isn't as well-balanced when holding it.

If Apple expected the Mini variants to be as successful as the others that's on them. It's clear that most people spend a lot of time on their phone consuming multimedia content and so for those a large screen makes sense. But there should be a choice and as an SE model it would still make sense imho.

Of course in the future small phones might become obsolete due to foldables, but as long as those are based on flimsy creased plastic and cost twice as much I'm not convinced.

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#54

Remake the form factor of the 4S and we’ll talk. That’s the last phone that was comfortable to hold.

SE's seem to have problems with many websites that blithely assume larger form factors. Not a blocker tho.

It's the other way around: websites have problems with small browser windows. And not just on phones, just yesterday an online shop's product images were invisible and glitchy unless the browser took up at least 2/3 of my 28" screen.

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would reduce this compulsive behaviour, reduce the waste of boxes and transport, reduce industrial complexity and costs.

Their ability to manage the "industrial complexity" is an incredible competitive advantage, and means than in consumer comparisons among flagship models, theirs is rarely behind. This would not be the case if they had every other year releases, that would leave the off years open to attack by, say, Samsung, "Why buy last year's phone when you can get a current model?" It doesn't mean consumers are or have to update e…

Other brands are releasing yearly new devices because they like to copy Apple

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#56
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 13 Mini was also a nice size. Impossible to find nowadays. Apparently 95% of users want big phones.

I get that some people spend their lives on their phones, but myself, with desktop, laptop and big hands, I don't want to carry half a tablet in my pocket to text people and play music. I adore my 12 Mini. I just wish it felt as thin as the 8

I also only text and play music. I get the largest phone available because I'm old and eyesight. Older people tend to have money.

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree! People also criticize Apple harshly for not massively redesigning the iPhone every year. That's a positive in my view.

Then they shouldn't release one every year.

Why?

We don’t force software to not ship non-major versions. Why does hardware have to be that way?

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#58

I wish that this was seen as a good thing, not a bad thing. Everyone who wants an iPhone already has one, Apple makes good products that last, and new phones these days are incremental updates rather than revolutionary new products, so there’s not a large incentive to upgrade.

I bought a note 8 6 years ago and honestly, I don't see why I would ever need anything better than that. We've reached peak phone a long time ago.

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But is a sale of a mini at the cost of a non-mini? Like if 3/4 of the mini buyer would have just gotten the next smallest form factor then you might not want the large time responsibility of another product.

I understand that, and obviously the line has to be drawn somewhere. I just think a company of Apple’s size/means is perfectly capable of maintaining and producing a mini for the people that want it. Then again, that’s easy for me to say I don’t run Apple.

Of course they're capable of doing it. Scarlet Johanson is also capable of dating me. They just don't want to.

Re: iPhone 16 demand is so weak that employees can already buy it on discount

#60

Remake the form factor of the 4S and we’ll talk. That’s the last phone that was comfortable to hold.

Apple listened. They made the 12 Mini and it sold poorly. But persevered and released the 13 Mini. Again, it sold poorly, so they gave up. Don’t blame Apple here, vast majority want gigantic phones.

In the same way that Gap should stop making small and medium sized t-shirts because L sells better ... ?
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