Comment by HSO | Hacker News Reader

Comment by HSO | Hacker News Reader

I see a lot of complaints here about the size (trend) and lack of smaller, SE-like option. But if product cycles really do take around 3 years (from conception to release), then 2019 might be the year. The SE was released in 2016 and was supply-constrained for quite a while. Obviously this is pure speculation but if Apple was sufficiently surprised by its success, maybe they decided in that year to "completely re-imagine" (sorry :) that form factor. And retiring the SE this cycle, given the apparent absence of good alternatives in the Android camp, might store up some demand to boost next year's sales. Like I said, pure speculation, but I wouldn't give up hope just yet.

[addendum: I'm just listening to the latest ATP podcast episode to put myself to sleep, and lo and behold John Siracusa takes pretty much the above position while Marco Arment takes the opposite side. So now they've got a bet going on. Fun little coincidence. Check out the podcast if you don't know it yet, it's right in the ballpark for people who would comment on this article.]

After lamenting the size of the 6🅂 following my iPhone 5, I was happy to get an iPhone SE as a burner for DEF CON this year. I was shocked at how small it felt. I've gotten so used to the extra space afforded by the 6-8 form factor. I still think the 6/SE is my favorite design, but would find it hard to go back to it as my daily driver.

Now I'm looking at the X🅂 and have the same reservations. I don't want a larger device in my pocket (and have pockets that the 6🅂 is already unsuited for), but will probably like the extra screen space once I'm used to it.

I’ve been using an se on my current holiday and way prefer it. Thinking of making it my daily driver

I went from a 5s to an X, and I really liked the size of the 5s and always took it in my pockets. My X is still a fine fit in my pockets, and it’s a gigantic upgrade over the 5s.

Call me out of touch if you like, but why would you buy a burner phone at a price point that's higher than what many Android users are willing to spend on their main phone for 2 or more years?

Because at DefCon, you are likely more secure on iOS over Android...

That's the only reason I could think of, yeah. And sure, DefCon is expensive anyway, but... do you need a smartphone if you can bring a burner laptop for <200 bucks?

I'll cross my fingers your speculation is correct.

There will now be an "apparent absence of good alternatives" in the iPhone camp too. The SE will be nearly EOL hardware soon, and the smallest iPhone is now a 5.8 inch screen. The minimum price point is also now $750 for current hardware. The SE was partially a low cost option for emerging markets as I understood it, so either they're planning on previous year hardware as the affordable option, or they'll need to release something that doesn't cost so much soon.

The minimum price point is also now $750 for current hardware.

I don't think that's quite true. The minimum price point on Apple.com right now is $449: https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-7

I know a lot of people are saying the SE is dead, and I believed that, too, but it's still there on Apple's web site. Just go to iPhone > Compare, and either click the "See all models" link, or select it (or anything back to the 6) from the drop-down.

The SE is listed as "Available at authorized retailers," but you can still buy the 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8Plus from Apple.

The 7 is $449.

By "current hardware" the GP presumably meant the most recently released phones, ie the last generation. The iPhone 7 was released 2 years ago.

I interpreted "current" to mean what is currently available. To me "last generation" would be "latest" phones.

English is a messy language.

Yes, I could have been more clear about meaning “current generation”. The implication being the phones that will have a long life of support and relevance. When the SE came out it was using Apple’s latest iPhone processor. You can still buy a new SE but it will be deprecated by Apple and run newer software for a lot fewer years than the current-gen X phones. Likewise a couple years from now when the 7 and 8 are out of software support the only options will be large phones if Apple doesn’t reintroduce a smaller phone.

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