Many, of course, have taken the apparent failure of the Mini to capture as a large audience as a sign that the market for the original SE was based on price, not size.
However, the Macalope presents a different theory: that the introduction of Mini came too soon after the SE’s intro earlier in 2020. The idea is that the demand for a smaller iPhone was mostly satisfied by the new SE introduced earlier in 2020, that it essentially sopped up the market. Most folks who bought the SE were not ready to get another new phone in the same year.
So, perhaps to better see the market for a smaller iPhone in the future, one needs to breakdown Apple sales of phones in 2020, not by 11 vs. 12 but by size and complexity. That is, one should look at the percentages of the 12 and Mini combined vs the sales of other 11 and 12 models for 2020.
Well, that was certainly true for us. Tonya bought the second-generation iPhone SE as soon as it came out because she had been holding out for a new iPhone that wasn’t in the iPhone X form factor. Once November rolled around, she would have preferred the iPhone 12 mini, but it wasn’t worth upgrading from such a new iPhone SE.
The mini is also really expensive compared to the 11 and even the 12.
The 12 mini is in fact $30 more expensive than the 6.1" 11 was, and only $100 less than the 12 which not only has a larger screen, but is OLED as well. The 12 mini is the first of its generation and it’s an expensive phone to manufacture. Its price reflects that and right now that could be an issue.
Many buyers might assume an extra $100 for the 12 is a bargain for so much extra screen size and allegedly better battery life. I would wager fewer people are willing to pay less for a more compact phone (I know I would, but I also know I’m a minority geek) than the other way around. However, as iPhone generations progress the current 12 mini will gradually become less expensive compared to its larger siblings and with that its sales will increase. Also, by end of 2022 the present 12 mini could serve as the SE3 at ~ $400. Similar to how Apple is presently selling the XR as a $300 cheaper alternative to the 12.
IMHO the mini isn’t going anywhere and with time its sales numbers will make perfectly clear where its justification lies.
There have always been well-argued reasons why each generation of the SE/mini hasn’t sold well, but unfortunately the common theme has been that the SE/mini hasn’t sold well. I’d prefer it to be different but at some point that commonality starts to become the story.
That’s most likely what happened to many buyers. The SE2 sold like crazy. Sure lots of buyers probably weren’t willing to spend an extra $300, but some fraction would have (considering all the extras the 12 mini offers in an even smaller package) and those sales weren’t realized as 12 minis. Next time around that won’t happen, meanwhile the present 12 mini will be marked down $100-$150. At that point it’s a minor upsell from the SE2 which is highly unlikely to drop below $400.
The 12 mini is for people like me who want the best iPhone that is available that will fit in a shirt pocket and not easily fall out. Or maybe the ones who also want better bluetooth connections, now that wired connections are discouraged or unavailable for many earbuds and other accessories.
People, really, this is not that hard. 12 mini for those that want great in a small package, SE for those that want the least expensive iPhone. Compared to 12 vs. 12 Pro that’s a world of difference and plenty of reason to keep both in the lineup. And for sure plenty more than 12 vs. 11 vs. XR which are all also being offered.
It’s a bit ironic that on boards we can go on for years about how Apple should offer this choice or that one. But when they finally do, some will start asking who in the world needs such choice. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
This shows a lack of understanding of marketing. 6% of the phones Apple sell is still a lot of phones, and will justify their development expenses easily. Now if Apple didn’t have the phone then the purchasers will either have bought a larger phone, probably not, or a smaller slower phone, the SE or worst of all another brand. So it is quite likely that they are happy with that. Apple will be doing their consumer research and it has presumable told them that there is demand for 4 sizes of phone, 3 premium and the SE.
Of course they may want to be happier, and then they will make adjustments to their lineup for the iPhone 13.
Maybe, but I’m sure that Apple is not just hoping a product justifies its development expenses.
By that logic, Apple can never have introduced a product that didn’t sell well, as they always will have done their consumer research. I think we all know that that’s not true.
I just stumbled upon an article that has me thinking different about the future of the Mini and SE:
Apple could be considering the Mini and SE as a gateway to new markets for other Apple hardware and services, especially markets where Samsung, etc, might be well established.
Been there, done that with my mom! That’s exactly how I upgraded her from 5C to the (original) SE. Which came in most handy (it’s a long story so please bear with me), when she fainted and fell a year ago inside a CVS to which she had driven herself . When people tried to help and asked if they should call anyone, she declined . Instead she went back to her car, rested something like 30 minutes before driving home.
Worse yet, we (4 kids) didn’t even find out about it till hours later, that same evening. Which was when I put my foot down and got her an Apple Watch. Which, thank goodness, could be used with the original SE!!!
Fortunately for us, my mom likes tech (she calls iDevices ‘iToys’), in fact had even taken over my dad’s Blackberry for work — remember those? — coz Dad hates tech, or I should say he used to hate tech. (More about that below.) So Mom was using Dad’s Blackberry to email as early as 2004 or 2005.
Then in 2007 when the original iPhone came out, I decided to get one for me myself and I, mainly because I work in several languages. Then in 2008 when the 3G came out, I decided to upgrade for a mere €79 and give the original iPhone to my mom for Xmas. (I was living in Paris at the time, and French consumer protection laws do not allow a product to be tied to a contract. Meaning that after 6 months with the carrier, the carrier had to unlock my original iPhone for free.)
I also checked with my three siblings to see if they thought it a good idea to pass along my still-quite-young original iPhone to Mom. Two of them had no opinion, but my younger brother said, nah, she couldn’t be bothered learning anything new.
Except… when I arrived stateside at my parents’ house that Xmas, and as soon as I pulled out my 3G, this is what transpired:
Mom: “Is that new?”
I (nodded) yes
Mom: “What are you gonna do with the old one? Give it to me?”
(NO JOKE!!!)
Thus I didn’t even get to wrap it as a present, but gave it to her right then and there. And she’s been a convert ever since. (She also does multilingual stuff as we are a multicultural family.)
Consequently it was a piece of cake to convert her to the Apple Watch about a year ago. Are you kidding me? Getting calls and text notifications right on her wrist — from her favorite child, for example, in fact the one who had thought she couldn’t be bothered with the original iPhone all those years ago — while she’s working in her garden?!?!?!?!? Meanwhile, we could all relax thanks to Fall Detection and the Heart Rate and ECG apps (as she has Mitral Valve Prolapse). The proverbial win-win for all concerned.
But now to come back to my even more elderly dad, who just had his birthday last Sunday 10 January — which the whole gang celebrated via Group FaceTime, Covid oblige. (He is still on this side of a century in age, but getting up there!)
Dad was never interested in tech, let alone iToys, and he always said, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.
Alas he has macular degeneration and also hearing problems, and was nabbed by a cop at a roundabout several years ago where he got confused while driving. (Admittedly that roundabout was and still is known for being confusing. Also the cop was there that time, only because the week before an elderly couple had rammed through the roundabout and caused serious damage…)
But since Dad couldn’t hear well enough to answer the cop’s questions, the cop suspended his license and issued him a summons to retake the full driver license exam: 1/ eye exam 2/ written test and 3/ road test. (!!!)
Fortunately Dad was wise enough to give up driving on his own, for which we kids were the envy of many friends (who had to take the car keys away from their elderly parents…).
Nevertheless since Dad still went to his office everyday, Mom had to take on “chauffeur duty”. Which she didn’t mind, except communication became a problem as he couldn’t hear well enough to talk on the phone.
The obvious solution would have been texting, but for an “old dog” who hates tech???
Lo and behold, I was in a CVS and saw out of the corner of my eye, a 2-pack stylus for phones! I grabbed it and packaged it with a 5C for my dad, and… problem solved
Not only did he become adept at texting and even email on the 5C using the stylus, he got into the habit of having a stylus in his shirt pocket at all times.
And then in 2015 when the first iPad Pro came out with the first-gen Apple Pencil, I gave it to him for Father’s Day. On which he has since written his memoirs!!!
(Should you think this ‘commentary’ rather long-winded, sorry, kids, coz there’s yet a bit more…)
For his bday a week ago 10 January, I decided to finish setting up his own⌚️. (I say “finish setting up” coz I had meant to give it to him for Father’s Day 2020, but once again Covid oblige… I only got as far as pairing it with his new iPhone X, but didn’t finish the cellular subscription with his carrier.)
So the whole gang had a Group FaceTime in the early afternoon for his bday, then I went over to my parents’ house (20-minute drive away) that evening to update all their iToys and set up Dad’s — while I remained seated on their patio outside the whole time, given the current stay-at-home order.
I am happy to report that Dad is now also a happy camper with his⌚️, apparently he has even been showing it off to all and sundry albeit ‘virtually’. (He had had a heart attack in October 2018, his first major health issue in all the years I’ve known him. He then had his gallbladder out in August 2019, but… get this, he regained his hearing albeit with an old pair of hearing aids, immediately after surgery. NO JOKE! This is why he can even FaceTime now.)
The point of relating all the above is, of course, even a self-professed “old dog” can learn new tricks then enjoy them. The bottom line is correct psycology — as ‘david19’ has proven here with his wife, as has ‘silbey’ with his mom.
And if you’ve actually made it all the way through this commentary, to you for your tenacity!
Absolutely. I went from the original SE to the XS (the smallest great phone at the time), never even considered the ’new’ SE, and went for the 12 Mini as soon as it came out.
What’s more, my mom stuck it out with the original SE until the 12 Mini, coz she simply refused to have a bigger phone — which the second SE was.
That being said, I would prefer having also a telephoto lens on the 12 Mini…
iPhone SE: $400
iPhone XR: $500
iPhone 11: $600
iPhone 12 Mini: $700
iPhone 12: $800
iPhone 12 Pro: $1000
iPhone 12 Max: If you have to ask…
See a price level for everyone! You can get an iPhone! And you can get an iPhone! And you can get an iPhone! Everyone can get an iPhone!
And there’s always a model that’s just a teensy bit more with a nicer features. An iPhone 11 is just $600, but for a little bit more, you can have this year’s model with 5G and a nicer screen. Ooo, and so shiny! This is especially true since the emphasis is now on monthly payments.
As a commercial for a TV seller use to advertise in my home town, “You don’t need any money. Just a little bit down.”
. When people tried to help and asked if they should call anyone, she declined 
. Instead she went back to her car, rested something like 30 minutes before driving home.
— while I remained seated on their patio outside the whole time, given the current stay-at-home order.
to you for your tenacity!