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Comment by ngruhn | Hacker News Reader

I share the frustration. But apparently small phones don't sell.

> small phones don't sell

It's all relative.

If Google sold five million iPhones Mini it would be considered a smash hit. But because it's Apple it's considered a flop because of the ridiculous sales numbers of their other models.

Apple sold 10-15 million of the minis each year, with a marketing budget of approximately zero.

The problem is that everyone believed Tim Cook when he claimed that this is a failure.

How much did it cost Apple to make those minis? Do we know?

I surely don’t. But if it wasn’t profitable, then Apple sucks at supply chain management (which is something I don’t believe).

It even can be profitable but not worth the opportunity cost: spending the resources on other things could be more profitable.

opens cupboard

iPhone 3GS

Galaxy S3

Sony XZ1 Compact

iPhone SE 2016

iPhone SE 2020

iPhone SE 2022

Unihertz Atom

There's one data point. I would bet, though, that Apple, Sony and Samsung have plenty more data points of devices that didn't move and thus they stop making smaller devices.

Yup, keep in mind the generally Western audience on HN is only a small minority of the total market, which is... hundreds of millions of people for the iphone alone.

This is the correct answer. I don't think anyone believes that Apple doesn't manufacture smaller phones out of spite? They are just not popular enough.

"They are just not popular enough."

The various Mini models accounted for 3 to 6% of sales, which was still millions of units.

That must be why all those vacuum robots and smart TVs phone home to China. Because people really love appliances that spy on them. Good thing Samsung patched their fridges to add advertisements and spyware, because that's what their customers (in the US) were really waiting for.

The Unihertz Atom is probably too small but it really fits the niche its web site targets. I might consider it for my bike.

Stop hogging the mineral resources and recycle them already!

Pixel 5 is a nice size. I like smallies too.

Pixel 1 was the ideal phone. Not too large. Completely flat back. Screen didn't bulge above the sides so you could drop it without shattering the screen. Google's design has only gone downhill since then. (The pixel 5 looks pretty nice, but it seems to have the bulging glass and the beginnings of camera bumps)

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