Thursday, March 24, 2016

iPhone SE: So Retro, So Small...But So Nostalgic?

Nostalgia. Everyone feels this pitiful sink throughout their lifetimes. Whether it's looking at a picture of a day at the beach with family, or finding an old toy that once saw so many hours of play. That feeling can range from A to Z, but in the end, it doesn't change the fact that it brings with it a desire to return to the "good old days".
Where is all of this going, you might ask? Well, on Tuesday's event, Apple made some announcements, that, while seemingly surprising, did not surprise anyone that has been following the recent leaks. For those not up to date on their tech events, Apple made many announcements, ranging from software updates and changes to HealthKit, all the way to the announcement of a smaller iPad Pro, lowering the screen size down to 9.7 inches, and, most importantly, a new iPhone. Dubbed the iPhone SE (though the announcer made it sound more like the "iPhone Essay"), it is a basic clone of the older iPhone 5s.
Returns is the exact same 4 inch screen, a good .7 inches smaller than the iPhone 6s, and a solid 1.5 inches smaller than the iPhone 6s Plus. In fact, the iPhone SE is the exact same dimensions as the iPhone 5s, so every single accessory that exists for the 5s will immediately work for the SE, something that should be exciting to both case owners, but also old iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s owners not wanting to throw away their old accessories. A few other changes from the 5s to the SE is that the Apple logo on the back is no longer so prone to scratches, and the chamfered edges are now matte, so they do not show scratches as easily as its predecessor. Aside from the scratch protection, the iPhone now features the latest internal specifications from its bigger brother, the iPhone 6s (minus the cameras and display quality, as well as an older TouchID sensor), meaning that everyday tasks will feel exactly the same on this phone as its faster brother. Apple touts the phone and its specs like so:
Welcome to iPhone SE, the most powerful 4‑inch phone ever. To create it, we started with a beloved design, then reinvented it from the inside out. The A9 is the same advanced chip used in iPhone 6s. The 12‑megapixel camera captures incredible photos and 4K videos. And Live Photos bring your images to life. The result is an iPhone that looks small. But lives large.
As you can see, Apple is making it sound like the size of the phone is what is going to sell it. However, this is not the full story; nostalgia isn't the only marketing behind this phone. Oh no, Apple is gambling on a much larger market audience here: developing countries. Apple has realized the potential value of selling in the two largest developing markets, India and China. With a quarter of the market in terms of possible consumers, Apple wants to hit these countries hard, but has had a difficult time due to the cost of their phones being upwards of $600-$650 for base models, while other carriers were able to bring the cost down substantially for very powerful Android handsets. However, with this iPhone making use of Apple's soon-to-be outdated hardware from the 6s (Apple will have extra parts lying around when the 7 is released), and they already have the manufacturing capacity for the iPhone 5s' old body, it was a perfect pairing for Apple to charge into the affordable $399 price tag this phone is targeted at.
However, this is where I draw the line between nostalgia and price. Only people that truly want a small phone will buy this phone. Even people that are extremely cheap will want a larger screen; the world has evolved around larger phones, and tasks that are easily possible on a large phone, are extremely difficult on a smaller phone. I also see this as a way to bring in new customers to the iPhone ecosystem, before pressuring them into the larger, bigger, more powerful phones. Overall, the idea of a small but powerful phone sounds like a fun nostalgic marketing strategy seems normal, but I believe it is just a ploy to a) capture new markets and cheaper customers into the iPhone market and b) re-purpose old iPhone parts as Apple prepares for the launch of its newest iPhone.

-740 words

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