14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is set to announce the new iPhone SE later today, along with a new iPad model and some special-edition Watch bands, but the event doesn’t seem to generate as much excitement as before.
That’s what a Gartner analyst was quoted as saying, explaining that the iPhone SE is unlikely to play a decisive role in iPhone’s overall growth.
“There's been a lot less noise,” Gartner tech analyst Brian Blau said according to CBC, adding that some surprises are still possible. “Apple is such a secretive company. They do keep things under wraps as long as possible.”
Many seem to believe that while the iPhone SE won’t be such a major hit, the iPhone 7 is Apple’s main product supposed to breathe life into the iPhone portfolio. The main reason for this is the rather small display of the SE, as the device is expected to debut with a 4-inch screen, so only few customers are likely to be interested in purchasing such a phone model.
Analysts estimate that Apple would sell around 12 million 4-inch iPhones this year, a lot less than the iPhone 6, whose shipments accounted for a total of 265 million since launch.
Apple iPhone SE
The SE will be a 4-inch device coming as a direct successor to the iPhone 5s, but will feature hardware available on the iPhone 6s, including the A9 and M9 processors, plus a 12-megapixel camera.
Sources close to the matter suggest the iPhone SE will be very similar in design to the 5s, so a boxy shape is likely, despite purported leaks that pointed to an appearance that brings it closer to the new 6s.
Studies have shown that 20 percent of the smartphone owners in the United States would purchase a 4-inch iPhone and Apple is specifically targeting these buyers, while keeping its bigger models for the current clientele that would buy the new iPhones anyway. With the SE, Apple’s also hoping to upgrade those who are still using older 4-inch models, thus bringing them on newer iOS versions and expanding available of services such as Apple Pay.