There probably won't be a new 4-inch iPhone SE in 2017
Sorry guys, but small iPhones just aren't as hot as big iPhones.
Apple is reportedly declining to update the iPhone SE next year, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Apple broke with its tradition this year when it launched the 4-inch iPhone SE in the spring. The iPhone SE is essentially an iPhone 5/5S design with the iPhone 6S's faster A9 processor and M9 motion coprocessor. It also has improved cameras.
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But despite its lower price point (starting at $399) and target at emerging markets such as India, slowing iPhone sales may contribute to there being no need to refresh the iPhone SE.
Not that the iPhone SE needs to be updated annually, anyway. Apple knows its bread and butter are its larger 4.7- and 5.5-inch flagship iPhones. Those are the iPhones people really want and wait for.
The iPhone SE is kind of the oddball in the iPhone family. Aside from being cheap, it also exists solely to please people who want a small phone; they're a smaller slice of the market, but one that still exists.
"So why are people buying 4-inch iPhones?" asked Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of product marketing, during the iPhone SE's announcement event in March. "There's two reasons. First, for some people they simply love smaller phones; they want the most compact iPhone design. Second, we found that for a lot of these customers, it's there first iPhone."
"Our 4-inch iPhones are actually an important part of our lineup. This last year we sold over 30 million 4-inch iPhones. That's a lot of phones."
Apple's never been shy to continue selling old products to please a niche. For years, Apple continued to sell the old 13-inch MacBook Pro with built-in CD/DVD drive even though its flagship MacBooks dumped them years ago.
And Apple still sells the old 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina displays with all of their ports even though the new MacBook Pros which only have USB-C ports have launched.
So yeah, big deal if there's no new iPhone SE next year. SE users are in the minority and it's clear the focus is on big screens and Jet Black.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
