Apple finally gave consumers what they have been begging for. Everyone has said the same thing online: we want huge phones. Bigger is better! As it turns out, huge phone fans may be little more than a vocal minority. Apple took a risky decision, discontinuing their most hyped case redesign in years, the iPhone 12/13 mini. The iPhone 13 mini preorders outsold combined preorders of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Sales of the iPhone 14 Plus, specifically, have apparently been “lower than expected.” This tells us what we’ve likely known all along: what consumers really want, is small phones.
Oh, they may talk the talk about having more space for their TikTok videos and huge text for their bad vision, but at the end of the day, people just want something that will fit in their hand and pocket.
With sales data that clearly indicates consumers hate large phones, Apple will surely discontinue the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Instead, next year, they’ll likely release an iPhone 15 in the 5.4-inch size, and an iPhone 15 Max in a huge—but not comically so—6.1-inch size.
Or maybe, like the iPhone 13 mini before it, people just aren’t excited about budget iPhones and would rather an “all-pro” lineup in the sizes of their choosing?
Nah, can’t be that, it’s got to be a problem with the iPhone Plus Big Max size.
Min/Max Issues
It’s an improvement, but is it enough of an improvement?
Okay, all kidding aside, it’s easy to see that the problem with the iPhone 14 Plus and the iPhone 13 mini has little to do with their size. Especially this year, when the iPhone 14 is a barely-repackaged iPhone 13. Apple’s problem seems to be they’re releasing flagship iPhones that come with the high price tags but always just feel like less.
Tech enthusiasts are the people picking up new products. Techies love the bleeding edge. But techies also have another love: specs. You can’t target early adopters with a new size and not hit them with a pro model as well. Early adopters are largely going to want the “pro” features. Apple tried to sell a device to enthusiasts clamoring for a new, smaller iPhone, but they forgot enthusiasts also want the best tech.
What’s the solution? Three new iPhones a year instead of four, but with new positioning. Considering the iPhone 15 lineup, you’d have the iPhone 15 mini, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Max. All would have the features of the “Pro” models. You’d have the latest processor, cameras, and screen technology in all of them. What about budget models? For that you’d have the iPhone SE, which, with its Touch ID sensor makes it the best phone for people with vision impairments as well as the best phone for people who wear face coverings often, or just want a small, cheap iPhone. Then there’s the iPhone 14, and maybe the iPhone 14 Plus. Keep selling last year’s iPhones at a $100 discount. Maybe rebrand them, if that helps? The iPhone SE, like the current one, and iPhone SE Plus, the 6.1-inch model. Forget the numbers attached to them, just announce “The all new iPhone SE and iPhone SE Plus” each year. People will like them for their lower price point and decent specs.
Just stop trying to sell older and inferior tech as a flagship model, and bring back the mini size which was clearly more popular than Apple’s sales suggested. Their problem isn’t small iPhones, it’s a crowded iPhone lineup. Apple currently sells: the iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone SE, and the iPhone 12. Eight iPhone models are currently on sale on Apple’s website. This is ridiculous. Steve Jobs infamously simplified the Mac lineup, which is what helped Macs like the iMac and MacBook Pro become iconic. Now there’s eight iPhone models on sale, and they’re selling poorly.
Who could have predicted that? Oh, right, Apple did less than a decade ago. Apple’s suffering from identity problems, and clearly has forgotten that they used to be about simplicity.