Apple was rumored to launch a successor to the current iPhone SE in 2024, but Ming-Chi Kuo expresses his doubts on Twitter. The analyst still very well informed of the movements in the production chain of Apple suggested that the launch of this new model could be simply canceled, or at least reflected compared to the initial date, envisaged in the spring of 2024.
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My latest survey indicates that Apple will likely cancel or postpone the 2024 iPhone SE 4 mass production plan. I believe this is due to consistently lower than expected shipments of midrange iPhones (e.g. SE 3 , 13 mini and 14 Plus),— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) December 21, 2022
Why this decision? Ming-Chi Kuo evokes two tracks: on the one hand, the lack of success of the “mini” iPhone and even of the iPhone 14 Plus would have made Apple doubt about the future of the iPhone SE, or at all its strategy for this entry-level model. Its customers seem ready to turn to the more expensive variants, as the success of the iPhone 14 Pro proved again this year, so this iPhone SE could seem less essential in the range.
iPhone 14 Plus would continue not to sell, production stalled
Of the entire iPhone 14 lineup, the Pro Max is said to be the most popular
On the other hand, the switch to the new design popularized since the iPhone X – the latest rumors speak of a design close to that of the iPhone XR to be precise – led to an increase in production costs. Which, we must not dream, would lead to a direct increase in the selling price of this fourth generation iPhone SE. The objective being to sell a smartphone that is not too expensive, this planned increase could be prohibitive.
Beyond these arguments specific to the iPhone SE, Ming-Chi Kuo brings another reason deeper and perhaps more worrying. Abandoning the development of a new product could help the company get by in 2023, a year that promises to be particularly difficult according to the same analyst who posted another tweet about it here. The looming economic recession is expected to affect everyone, including Apple, so much so that the company may choose to drop the iPhone SE 4…
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