Jumping on the iPhone SE bandwagon...

[Artdeco]

Just bought a used SE for$300, I really don't use one for anything but tethering, texting and calls, can't jump to Android, I like the integration of texts and phone calls with my iPad and MacBook retina too much to give them up.

Will be the first time I've had a small phone for years.

 

[Oyeve]

Well yay you. "All things apple" is <----

J/K, enjoy your "Old is New again!" iphone!

 

[poofyhairguy]

I think the SE is the highest value iPhone released ever.

And with that said I would find it to be a personal form of torture to be forced back onto a 4 inch screen.

 

[Artdeco]

I think the SE is the highest value iPhone released ever.

And with that said I would find it to be a personal form of torture to be forced back onto a 4 inch screen.

I know, remember zooming in and out a lot, but I have an iPad mini, and a 12.7" Pro I can tether to, as well as a couple of Android tablets. Am retiring, so I'm typically at home, and the tablets are always handy...

Just hoping to get back some real estate in my pockets

If I can't stand it, will resell it, go back to the 6s Plus.

 

[cronos]

My dad just upgraded to the SE from the 4S, so not only everything seems super snappy now that the hardware is current, it was actually a size upgrade for him. Think about that a little bit

 

[core2slow]

I'm sorry to hear that.

 

[mrochester]

I know, remember zooming in and out a lot, but I have an iPad mini, and a 12.7" Pro I can tether to, as well as a couple of Android tablets. Am retiring, so I'm typically at home, and the tablets are always handy...

Just hoping to get back some real estate in my pockets

If I can't stand it, will resell it, go back to the 6s Plus.

The size of the content on the screen is the same as the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, you just see less of it. No need to zoom in and out

 

[Deeko]

I was using a iPhone 6s Plus from work, and hated it. Way too big, heavy, unwieldy. Swapped it out last week for an SE and it's unfathomable how much better it is. I'm glad Apple has joined Sony in the "small form factor flagship" camp - hopefully others will follow suit. I still can't stand iOS, but seeing as Apple does set trends for the industry, I wouldn't be surprised to see manufacturers for other platforms do it as well. In the meantime, my Z5 Compact and iPhone SE fit nicely.

 

[chitwood]

My dad just upgraded to the SE from the 4S, so not only everything seems super snappy now that the hardware is current, it was actually a size upgrade for him. Think about that a little bit

My dad is this close to doing the exact same thing, I told him yea, you'll get a bigger screen with the SE. In my mind I'm like, wtf did I just say

 

[poofyhairguy]

I was using a iPhone 6s Plus from work, and hated it. Way too big, heavy, unwieldy.

Yeah, I honestly have used mine more as a tablet.

 

[Trader05]

Yeah, I honestly have used mine more as a tablet.

I have a 6S Plus. With the screen size and battery life, I have no need for a tablet at all. They really need to optimize the body to screen ratio.

I wish they would put the same cameras and better battery life into the regular 4.7" since it seems like they are going on the same design for the 7.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I have a 6S Plus. With the screen size and battery life, I have no need for a tablet at all.

Yeah I gave my wife my iPad Air 2 after I got it because I didn't need it anymore. But then after a week of lugging around the 6s Plus I stuck my sim in a S6 Edge because I hated all that bulk in my pocket.

They really need to optimize the body to screen ratio.

They got to give us a reason to by the iPhone 8 man. They can't go an give us the practical things we want all in one model, it will kill the sales the year after.

I wish they would put the same cameras and better battery life into the regular 4.7" since it seems like they are going on the same design for the 7.

I think the regular size will have a better camera guaranteed. The question is if it gets OIS.

Honestly the screen on the regular sized one is what bugs me. The fringing on fonts is gross (#firstworldproblems).

 

[Artdeco]

Found a nice leather wallet case, have been using them for years now...

 

[stlc8tr]

I have a 6S Plus. With the screen size and battery life, I have no need for a tablet at all. They really need to optimize the body to screen ratio.

Comics and magazines.

I'm happy with my Tab Pro 8.4 but would upgrade to a larger tablet if they release one that's less than 3/4 lb.

 

[Commodus]

They got to give us a reason to buy the iPhone 8 man. They can't go an give us the practical things we want all in one model, it will kill the sales the year after.

Ha, folks always say that... but I suspect it really is the case that Apple either doesn't have the resources or only realizes that it needs to tackle a feature after it's too late to roll it into a given year's model. Even Samsung (champion of "the feature checklist size is all that matters") has its quiet years.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Ha, folks always say that... but I suspect it really is the case that Apple either doesn't have the resources or only realizes that it needs to tackle a feature after it's too late to roll it into a given year's model. Even Samsung (champion of "the feature checklist size is all that matters") has its quiet years.

Doesn't have the resources? Huh? You have to explain that one.

There are three reason in my mind for Apple to be so slow to roll out either better hardware features or better form factors (and an example of each):

1. Conservatism- The iPhone is the most successful consumer product ever and Apple refuses to ship certain features until they have it working 100% in a way normal people can use (Apple Pay)

2. Profit hunting and holding back for future cycles- aka the reasoning I was using before (the iPhone 6+ having 1GB ram)

3. Arrogance- they are the most successful company this decade so they think their way is the best way (taking forever to go large screen)

And sometimes it's a combination of the one or all of the three (Apple Watch). And honestly I don't mind #1 or 2 at all, hell I wish they would have been a little more conservative on some products honestly.

 

[Artdeco]

Nice, got the SE, had forgotten how much I liked the 5/5s form factor.

Finally they added complications to the Apple Watch that allows more than one stock ticker, paired it up and am golden.

 

[Commodus]

Doesn't have the resources? Huh? You have to explain that one.

There are three reason in my mind for Apple to be so slow to roll out either better hardware features or better form factors (and an example of each):

1. Conservatism- The iPhone is the most successful consumer product ever and Apple refuses to ship certain features until they have it working 100% in a way normal people can use (Apple Pay)

2. Profit hunting and holding back for future cycles- aka the reasoning I was using before (the iPhone 6+ having 1GB ram)

3. Arrogance- they are the most successful company this decade so they think their way is the best way (taking forever to go large screen)

And sometimes it's a combination of the one or all of the three (Apple Watch). And honestly I don't mind #1 or 2 at all, hell I wish they would have been a little more conservative on some products honestly.

Sorry for the late reply. I'll elaborate:

Yes, Apple has tons of cash. However, it can't necessarily hire however many engineers it needs to add a feature in for product year X -- it may take those engineers months to get up to speed, and more staff doesn't always equal better. That and Apple has run a lean outfit ever since Jobs' return. It tries to avoid taking on engineers that don't have much to do.

This isn't to say that this is a definitive answer, but to paraphrase: never attribute to conspiracy what can be explained by sound logic. It's easy to claim Apple is holding back on certain features without knowing about the design and engineering battles that led to it being late/non-existent. The iPhone 6/6 Plus' RAM I'm not sure about; you could be right, or it could have been due to power saving concerns in 2014-era tech.

 

[Artdeco]

Another thing I noticed is that movies lose some of their timeless quality when they're using cell phones, have noticed a lot of movies where everyone is using a 5, 5S form factor iPhone, with the SE, they can continue using the devices and you won't be able to guess when the movie was made.

In a few years the heavily promoted Windows phones are going to look really out of place in the TV shows they were so prominently used.

 

[Commodus]

Another thing I noticed is that movies lose some of their timeless quality when they're using cell phones, have noticed a lot of movies where everyone is using a 5, 5S form factor iPhone, with the SE, they can continue using the devices and you won't be able to guess when the movie was made.

In a few years the heavily promoted Windows phones are going to look really out of place in the TV shows they were so prominently used.

My favourite is Casino Royale. "Hey, did you know Sony makes Sony-Ericsson phones? And VAIO laptops? We'll drive that point home every time we can." Flash forward several years and the Ericsson half is gone, smartphones are much more popular, Sony has divested itself of the VAIO division...

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yes, Apple has tons of cash. However, it can't necessarily hire however many engineers it needs to add a feature in for product year X -- it may take those engineers months to get up to speed, and more staff doesn't always equal better. That and Apple has run a lean outfit ever since Jobs' return. It tries to avoid taking on engineers that don't have much to do.

That is the exact opposite of what I have heard about the modern Apple. On one podcast I listened to Harry McCracken (Fast Company) blatantly said that Apple hires hundreds of engineers just to work on different POSSIBLE product categories (like VR or cars) and only if it looks like something will work out do they expand into having thousands of engineers work on it.

Even outside of those claims, you figure they spent BILLIONS on R&D for the Apple Watch while someone like HTC can create and ship the Vive on a shoestring budget. I refuse to give Apple the underdog advantage, they have the money to make their most success product (THE most successful product ever) as good as it can be. There is a manhour problem (aka 30 engineers can't do something 30 times as fast as a single one always), but Apple has the resources to refresh the damn phone every year if they wanted to (or more exactly if they needed to).

This isn't to say that this is a definitive answer, but to paraphrase: never attribute to conspiracy what can be explained by sound logic. It's easy to claim Apple is holding back on certain features without knowing about the design and engineering battles that led to it being late/non-existent.

I get that. I also understand that even Apple can sometimes be too quick to push something to the detriment of customer (iPad 3 anyone?). It has to be a balance.

The iPhone 6/6 Plus' RAM I'm not sure about; you could be right, or it could have been due to power saving concerns in 2014-era tech.

I simply cannot accept that on the 6 Plus.

On the regular iPhone 6 I MAYBE buy the battery life thing, but the iPhone 6 Plus had a MASSIVE battery (bigger than the S model) plus the eventual iPad Air 4 showed us Apple could have bolted 2GB of RAM on an A8 all along.

There is no way to explain why they gimped their first phablet in such a way that doesn't show extreme profit seeking that any reasonable person could confuse with consumer malice. Combine that with the shitty flash memory many iPhone 6 Pluses have and you have the making of a ticking time bomb of a iPhone. I call foul on that, and I always will unless I see evidence that proves there was no way Apple could have done any better at any cost.

 

[Commodus]

That is the exact opposite of what I have heard about the modern Apple. On one podcast I listened to Harry McCracken (Fast Company) blatantly said that Apple hires hundreds of engineers just to work on different POSSIBLE product categories (like VR or cars) and only if it looks like something will work out do they expand into having thousands of engineers work on it.

Even outside of those claims, you figure they spent BILLIONS on R&D for the Apple Watch while someone like HTC can create and ship the Vive on a shoestring budget. I refuse to give Apple the underdog advantage, they have the money to make their most success product (THE most successful product ever) as good as it can be. There is a manhour problem (aka 30 engineers can't do something 30 times as fast as a single one always), but Apple has the resources to refresh the damn phone every year if they wanted to (or more exactly if they needed to).

There's a difference between exploring new categories and bolstering the ranks for an existing division -- that last part is what I'm getting at. While it's true that Apple's every-other-year (or possibly 3 years, in the current cycle) major update pattern isn't really necessary, I'm not wholly convinced that having more people would let them usher in more drastic revisions.

An important consideration about the Vive: HTC spent a long time developing it in public (pre-release hardware, developer programs and such) and is targeting a small audience in a handful of countries. It's a bit trickier when you're designing a product that will sell worldwide in the tens of millions per quarter, especially when you have to make numerous versions and account for hundreds of carriers.

I simply cannot accept that on the 6 Plus.

On the regular iPhone 6 I MAYBE buy the battery life thing, but the iPhone 6 Plus had a MASSIVE battery (bigger than the S model) plus the eventual iPad Air 4 showed us Apple could have bolted 2GB of RAM on an A8 all along.

There is no way to explain why they gimped their first phablet in such a way that doesn't show extreme profit seeking that any reasonable person could confuse with consumer malice. Combine that with the shitty flash memory many iPhone 6 Pluses have and you have the making of a ticking time bomb of a iPhone. I call foul on that, and I always will unless I see evidence that proves there was no way Apple could have done any better at any cost.

One theory I have (just a theory) is that Apple kept the RAM the same for economies of scale. Same basic processor and mainboard made it easier to deliver. That wouldn't entirely explain talk of the iPhone 7 Plus possibly having 3GB of RAM, but it's also coming two years later.

Point being: it's suspicious, but I don't want to presume too much about Apple's motivations for that 1GB limit.

 

[amyklai]

One theory I have (just a theory) is that Apple kept the RAM the same for economies of scale. Same basic processor and mainboard made it easier to deliver. That wouldn't entirely explain talk of the iPhone 7 Plus possibly having 3GB of RAM, but it's also coming two years later.

Point being: it's suspicious, but I don't want to presume too much about Apple's motivations for that 1GB limit.

Don't need to presume much, it's the same reason as why they still offer 16 GB storage models: it'll make them money later on, because you'll have another reason to upgrade.
They always offer the bare minimum that they deem necessary for a product to be attractive to their customers. Anything beyond that can be put into the next upgrade.

I'm sure Apple could've put a screen of the same quality as the iPhone 6 (brightness, contrast) in the SE. Or the newer fingerprint reader. or a better front-facing cam. or 3d touch.
But they didn't because they figured people were going to buy the SE anyway and now they have some easy upgrade options for the SE for next year. That way, they can offer a credible SE upgrade next year with just the stuff they left out this year, if they chose so.