iPhone SE

[sweenish]

I've got two things out of this thread so far: another user on my ignore list, and a very reasonable explanation for the continued existence of the 16 GB iPhone as a base model.

I'm still mad the idea of a 16 GB base model because I feel like it's unnecessarily held back the larger storage options from becoming cheaper (because too many people look at a sheet price more than anything else), but it makes a lot more sense now.

 

[saratoga172]

Picked up my SE 64gb today. Nice upgrade over the 6. I can tell a slight difference and improvement in performance and general navigation. I'm anticipating the few games to notice a more drastic improvement.

Overall it feels great to be back on a 4 inch phone. I find myself primarily using my phone for calls, email and text recently and less for consuming media. I don't really have a need for a larger screen and I have smaller hands. I've got a work 6s so I can compare side by side if anyone has anything in particular they want me to test.

I can't comment on overall battery life, but since fully charging it around noon (~7 hrs ago) I'm still at 90%. I wouldn't call it an accurate representation since it's right out of the box.

With this phone I feel like it'll last a few years and won't upgrade for a while. Sold my unlocked 6 64gb for $500 so I only spent $40 on taxes for the phone. Overall I'm very pleased with the "upgrade".

 

[vi edit]

My wife picked up a 64gb rose gold. Couldn't get it in black or silver. Sold out everywhere.

 

[foghorn67]

I think we'll see a surge in top of the line feature spec'd smartphones that are smaller.

At least I hope so, it would be the age of rampant consumption might be tapering off.

 

[Commodus]

My wife picked up a 64gb rose gold. Couldn't get it in black or silver. Sold out everywhere.

Interesting, and a cursory search on Twitter suggests there were at least a few instances like that. Probably not nearly as much frenzy as for a regular iPhone launch, but I'm surprised it happened at all. My guess: Apple didn't make all that many SEs, but it also underestimated demand.

 

[Commodus]

I refuse to make light of the 1GB of RAM issue. It was a problem day 1, it is a problem today. Especially if you are a power user who tries to multitask on the iPhone 6 plus only to find apps being aggressively killed in the background due to a lack of RAM. Everyone I know who has a 6S after having a 6 says it multitasks far better.

Honestly the main issue for me isn't just that the iPhone 6 Plus has 1GB of RAM. The issue is that it didn't have to be that way. The cheaper 2014 iPad Air 2 had 2GB of RAM, and the 2015 iPad Mini 4 is basically the iPhone 6 Plus's SoC with 1GB extra RAM bolted on. There is NO good reason Apple couldn't have done that for 2014 customers paying $1000 for a phablet. I wouldn't have minded so much if NO 2014 iOS device had 2GB of RAM, but a cheaper device DID. And now the "cheap" iPhone does too. All that tells me is that the iPhone 6 Plus had 1GB of RAM on purpose, and that purpose was planned obsolescence. And I freaking HATE that concept in any device.

I'm not saying that it didn't create a problem -- I'm saying that the magnitude of the problem isn't all that big. And it's hard to say if the 1GB of RAM was planned obsolescence, because we're not privy to the exact manufacturing costs or Apple's spec meetings. I just go by the adage that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and we haven't seen that yet.

 

[StrangerGuy]

I'm not saying that it didn't create a problem -- I'm saying that the magnitude of the problem isn't all that big. And it's hard to say if the 1GB of RAM was planned obsolescence, because we're not privy to the exact manufacturing costs or Apple's spec meetings. I just go by the adage that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and we haven't seen that yet.

If storage and RAM capacity truly mattered the free market wouldn't have rewarded Apple as much as it did, Apple isn't forcing spec-obsessed nerds to buy their products and it is already competing in a market with one of the fairest playing fields with a very low barrier to entry for hardware competitors. Facts that are apparently so uncomfortable to some.

 

[JimKiler]

If storage and RAM capacity truly mattered the free market wouldn't have rewarded Apple as much as it did, Apple isn't forcing spec-obsessed nerds to buy their products and it is already competing in a market with one of the fairest playing fields with a very low barrier to entry for hardware competitors. Facts that are apparently so uncomfortable to some.

You are right with the hardware and there are lots of android competitors. However the walled garden of apple apps makes it hard to steer apple fans to anything else once customers use apple products. Granted said users can switch to google products on their iphones but i am guessing that is a not a common occurence.

Also buying a phone that you keep for 2-4 years means there is not a direct link to demand and supply between phone buyers and suppliers if the supplier is not proactive to anticipate the needs of its users. I think we give Apple a harder time on this since they do a refresh twice a year and people like me believe upgrades are held back so Apple has something for the next refresh.

 

[mrochester]

You are right with the hardware and there are lots of android competitors. However the walled garden of apple apps makes it hard to steer apple fans to anything else once customers use apple products. Granted said users can switch to google products on their iphones but i am guessing that is a not a common occurence.

Also buying a phone that you keep for 2-4 years means there is not a direct link to demand and supply between phone buyers and suppliers if the supplier is not proactive to anticipate the needs of its users. I think we give Apple a harder time on this since they do a refresh twice a year and people like me believe upgrades are held back so Apple has something for the next refresh.

News flash, every manufacturer does this. Apple should get no harder a time about it than anyone else.

 

[linkgoron]

If storage and RAM capacity truly mattered the free market wouldn't have rewarded Apple as much as it did, Apple isn't forcing spec-obsessed nerds to buy their products and it is already competing in a market with one of the fairest playing fields with a very low barrier to entry for hardware competitors. Facts that are apparently so uncomfortable to some.

I've seen a lot of people just taking "yeah you need to delete photos once in a while" as a given, they don't even think about it. This is true even for some of my friends that use Android phones with an sdcard slot. Somehow they don't see "X GB is enough for me" and "deleting photos regularly" as a contradiction, even when questioned.

Sometimes it's just hard to notice how much your phone (or whatever) is lacking until you experience something else (small screen after getting used to a bigger one, lag after you experience a faster phone, app reloading after having more RAM, a smaller battery after getting used to charging every other day)

 

[mrochester]

I've seen a lot of people just taking "yeah you need to delete photos once in a while" as a given, they don't even think about it. This is true even for some of my friends that use Android phones with an sdcard slot. Somehow they don't see "X GB is enough for me" and "deleting photos regularly" as a contradiction, even when questioned.

Sometimes it's just hard to notice how much your phone (or whatever) is lacking until you experience something else (small screen after getting used to a bigger one, lag after you experience a faster phone, app reloading after having more RAM, a smaller battery after getting used to charging every other day)

It's called being satisfied with your device and iPhone owners tend to be the most satisfied. When you don't give people loads of different options and choices, they tend to be a lot more satisfied. It's why Android owners tend to be less satisfied with their devices because there is too much choice.

 

[linkgoron]

It's called being satisfied with your device and iPhone owners tend to be the most satisfied. When you don't give people loads of different options and choices, they tend to be a lot more satisfied. It's why Android owners tend to be less satisfied with their devices because there is too much choice.

My post talked about both iOS and Android.

I don't want to go too off topic, but most non-techy people that I know don't really know that they actually have any choices with Android. I also think that they would usually be too afraid to actually change things without someone's help.

When we talk about it, it usually goes like this:
"I'm unhappy with this [enter something here]"
"Then change it to [this]"
"What you can change it???"
"Sure"

-> Friend is now happy.

That's usually how it goes.

 

[JimKiler]

News flash, every manufacturer does this. Apple should get no harder a time about it than anyone else.

Agreed and I stated in a prior comment with my disdain for a 16GB size and how Samsung used to do this but now in the US the min storage for the S7 is 32GB.

 

[dainthomas]

My post talked about both iOS and Android.

I don't want to go too off topic, but most non-techy people that I know don't really know that they actually have any choices with Android. I also think that they would usually be too afraid to actually change things without someone's help.

When we talk about it, it usually goes like this:
"I'm unhappy with this [enter something here]"
"Then change it to [this]"
"What you can change it???"
"Sure"

-> Friend is now happy.

That's usually how it goes.

I loaded a new launcher on my Dad's phone and he looked at me like I was David Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappear.

 

[purbeast0]

Yeah, but my point was the Note 4 was better than any 6+.

The 2014 iPhone 6+ is already dated with its 1GB of RAM, even the iPhone SE provides a better app experience. It has probably aged worse than any iPhone in history, and should go down as the biggest cash grab ("look! it's a big iPhone! it must be good!") in mobile history when the dust settles.

Meanwhile the Note 4 with its 3 gigs of RAM, VR headset and a quadHD AMOLED screen is still ahead of the iPhone 6+S in many ways.

my iphone 6 works just fine. it hasn't "aged" at all to me. still working just as good as the day it came out.

 

[pm]

my iphone 6 works just fine. it hasn't "aged" at all to me. still working just as good as the day it came out.

I'm an iPhone 6 owner as well, and I agree with you. I bought it and it works as well now as it did then. I don't regret my purchase and I'll keep using it and it's all fine by me.

But I see Poofy's point too - which is it could have/should have been better. So because I've never used a 2GB RAM devices, I don't actually know how it could be better - I don't have that experience - but I watched the YouTube video he posted the link to up a dozen or so posts up and read the article that he posted and I see what he's saying.

Apple cheaped out and they shouldn't have because they sacrificed user experience in the name of slightly higher profits.

I don't think the fact that I purchased a 1GB phone means that I'm towing the corporate line like a sheep. I bought a phone that fit my needs - that still fits my needs - and I've been pleased with it. But I can see the point that it should have been better and it's a bummer that Apple made the choices that it made.

The root of the problem for me is that I bought an original iPhone - just as my father bought an original MS-DOS PC. And now as the years go by I'm used to using iOS. I have everything just the way I like it. Everything works perfectly like I want and I know exactly where things are and how to fix things. I know iOS. I have bought multiple Android phones and I have an Android tablet and the problem that I have is that it's like visiting England for me - I recognize the general place, but everything is slightly shifted for me, and when I need to fix something I don't know immediately how to do it. I try to make the jump and can't pull it off and after a month or two I switch back to iOS. I tell myself that I like Android and iOS equally but truthfully I'm stuck on iOS because I know it better. It's the same thing when I use a Mac. I know Windows. MacOS totally confuses me. I feel like an old dog who doesn't want to learn new tricks. So whatever the iPhone 7 is, there's a chance that I will buy it because it's better than what I have and it will be familiar to me.

 

[JimKiler]

I'm an iPhone 6 owner as well, and I agree with you. I bought it and it works as well now as it did then. I don't regret my purchase and I'll keep using it and it's all fine by me.

But I see Poofy's point too - which is it could have/should have been better. So because I've never used a 2GB RAM devices, I don't actually know how it could be better - I don't have that experience - but I watched the YouTube video he posted the link to up a dozen or so posts up and read the article that he posted and I see what he's saying.

Apple cheaped out and they shouldn't have because they sacrificed user experience in the name of slightly higher profits.

I don't think the fact that I purchased a 1GB phone means that I'm towing the corporate line like a sheep. I bought a phone that fit my needs - that still fits my needs - and I've been pleased with it. But I can see the point that it should have been better and it's a bummer that Apple made the choices that it made.

The root of the problem for me is that I bought an original iPhone - just as my father bought an original MS-DOS PC. And now as the years go by I'm used to using iOS. I have everything just the way I like it. Everything works perfectly like I want and I know exactly where things are and how to fix things. I know iOS. I have bought multiple Android phones and I have an Android tablet and the problem that I have is that it's like visiting England for me - I recognize the general place, but everything is slightly shifted for me, and when I need to fix something I don't know immediately how to do it. I try to make the jump and can't pull it off and after a month or two I switch back to iOS. I tell myself that I like Android and iOS equally but truthfully I'm stuck on iOS because I know it better. It's the same thing when I use a Mac. I know Windows. MacOS totally confuses me. I feel like an old dog who doesn't want to learn new tricks. So whatever the iPhone 7 is, there's a chance that I will buy it because it's better than what I have and it will be familiar to me.

Agreed, all the phones we buy are imperfect otherwise we would all buy the one perfect phone.

 

[Eug]

The thing is though, if you know Apple's release habits and follow their releases, you can avoid their deficient phones, that is if you can wait.

ie. I bought an A8X iPad Air 2 in 2014, but not an A8 iPhone 6 in 2014, simply because I figured the iPad Air 2 would have 2 GB RAM and the iPhone 6 would only have 1 GB RAM. For the iPhone, we waited until 2015 and got the 2 GB iPhone 6s.

 

[Zaap]

When you don't give people loads of different options and choices, they tend to be a lot more satisfied. It's why Android owners tend to be less satisfied with their devices because there is too much choice.

LOL!

Ahh, the Internet.

 

[Phynaz]

^ Look it up Zaap. Choice causing lower satisfaction is a fact.

 

[Rakehellion]

Apple isn't forcing spec-obsessed nerds to buy their products

The entire thread.

 

[Zaap]

^ Look it up Zaap. Choice causing lower satisfaction is a fact.

TOO MUCH choice can. There is NOT too much choice in the cell phone market, particularly at the flagship level.

And NOT ENOUGH choice, does not automatically equate to higher satisfaction. If it did, we'd all be happy with one or two types of car, TVs, food, heck, any consumer item you can imagine.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I tell myself that I like Android and iOS equally but truthfully I'm stuck on iOS because I know it better.

Which is fine. Millions of people are that way. iOS is a great OS, and Android has a crap ton of problems. My point all along is this:

if you know Apple's release habits and follow their releases, you can avoid their deficient phones, that is if you can wait.

Eug nailed it here. iOS products can provide a lot of value as long as you pay attention to what they are selling and sync your purchase cycle up to the generations they provide the most value. One great thing about iOS is that its devices can get updates for years so it's easier to wait, and they keep a high resale value so it doesn't cost that much to reset your cycle. Just because everyone else doesn't care about hardware specs doesn't mean that they don't matter.

Consumers who have bought an iPhone 4S/5, an iPad 2, an iPad Mini 2, or an iPad Air 2 have gotten a TON of value out of their products, far ahead of anything in Android. iPad Air 2 owners in particular got an extra feature months later as a reward for buying a 2GB ram product via split screen. I predict that people who have bought an iPhone 6s or especially the iPhone SE will enjoy their experience for a long time because those are well-balanced products with a lot of power-per-pixel.

There is nothing wrong with preferring iOS. I just think if you do, then don't make the mistake of assuming each iDevice generation is as good as any other generation. Sometimes it's worth it to wait to avoid an iPad 3 like generation IMHO.

 

[StrangerGuy]

You are right with the hardware and there are lots of android competitors. However the walled garden of apple apps makes it hard to steer apple fans to anything else once customers use apple products. Granted said users can switch to google products on their iphones but i am guessing that is a not a common occurence.

Also buying a phone that you keep for 2-4 years means there is not a direct link to demand and supply between phone buyers and suppliers if the supplier is not proactive to anticipate the needs of its users. I think we give Apple a harder time on this since they do a refresh twice a year and people like me believe upgrades are held back so Apple has something for the next refresh.

Yeah, it's all Apple's fault again that Android OEMs has no brand loyalty because they sold their souls to the do-no-evil Google. It's also Apple's fault they correctly surmised right from the beginning that ecosystem lock-in is a far powerful tool to sustain loyalty than Android OEMs throwing ever more hardware at a fundamental software deficiency they have no control of while their profits simply vaporized once the phase of good enough hardware hitted in 2013.

The mental gymnastics used to blame Apple is amazing.

 

[deathBOB]

The first rule of Apple is don't buy first generation hardware. That includes iPhone # models instead of S models.