Apple's latest flagship iPhone 8 is in the works and is expected to be launched sometime in September. However, people who cannot afford the premium handset can usually pick up the Cupertino-based companies lesser offerings, the iPhone 5c and the Iphone Se. These smartphones offer people Apple's iOS platforms but for lower overall specs and features.
A new report indicates that, unlike many of the other Apple handsets, the iPhone SE may not be receiving a refresh anymore.
The company is known to launch an updated version of their earlier handsets each year. For instance, Apple is all set to unveil the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, which are the refurbished variants of last year's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, respectively.
Apple will not launch refreshed version of iPhone SE
The iPhone SE is a moderately well-received handset which features a 4-inch display. The display size reflects those of devices which were popular a few years back. However, now, smartphone users are used to their device displays being at least 5-inches, and most handsets in the market boast a 5.5-inch display.
The iPhone SE and iPhone 5c are the only two Apple handsets which still offer the 4-inch feature to nostalgic fans that prefer the smaller display size.
It has now been over a year since the release of the iPhone SE and fans have been hopeful that the Cupertino based company would unveil an updated version of the handset. However, they have been disappointed so far in this expectation. A new report from China claims that Apple may indeed ditch the 4-inch handset line up completely, meaning that it will no longer release yearly versions for these smartphones.
Reasons for ditching the smaller handsets
Apple may be ditching the 4-inch handsets because it does not see a profitable future for those products.
In fact, the company may soon start supporting only those handsets which sport 5-inch displays or above. This brings into question the longevity of the 4.7-inch iPhones that are still relatively new additions into the market.
If Apple goes through with only refreshing 5-inch and 5.5-inch handsets from now on, it would mean that many of the older generation smartphones will stop getting updated variants each year. The iPhone 7s, which is scheduled to hit shelves this year, is a 4.7-inch smartphone, while the iPhone 7s Plus is a larger 5.5-inch device.
This strategy does make sense if seen from a profit generation angle. The refreshed device takes considerable investment from the company to develop.
If this refreshed version does not have a wide enough market then Apple would lose money and not generate enough profits. This may be why the company has decided to focus on the larger iPhones from now on.