The fourth generation iPhone SE has been leaked. It includes the expected redesign to adapt it to the language of these times. The one sold today retains the mold of 2014’s iPhone 6 and other remnants: 2021’s A15 chip, the Lightning connector that the rest of the iPhone leaves behind in 2023, or a rear camera (single lens). It’s already outdated.

SE had the meaning:

• Affordable gateway to the iOS ecosystem.
• Device aimed at cheap accessibility.
• Business mobile fleets that demand iOS but see no point in paying for advanced features.

But keeping it that way in 2022 with already rough specifications, likely to sell until early 2025, makes it even more difficult to sell. an anachronism that defies market logic and even Apple’s own reputation. This is a practice of business inertia that is difficult to justify.

The value proposition of the SE was already being discussed in its final release in spring 2022. At least it offered Apple’s latest chip, albeit with a now-obsolete design and at a relatively low price. It didn’t quite fit the company’s premium image.

In a dynamic market like a smartphone, remaining without an update for three years causes it to lose a lot of value. Will an informed consumer prefer a decade-old design, LCD screen and a single camera for over 500 euros?

The paradox becomes even greater when we consider Apple’s obsession with controlling every aspect of the user experience. How does offering a device that can’t adequately run most of the latest iOS features fit into this philosophy?

The switch may lie in emerging markets or in the stronghold of those reluctant to let go of the switch. HouseHowever Even in these cases the SE offer gets weaker with each passing yearAndroid competition is stuck between penultimate models at a discounted price or the refurbished market.

The redesign, filtered for 2025, would be an attempt to correct course, although it may come a little late. By then this design will already be three years old. If Apple doesn’t take the SE more seriously and keeps renewing it every three years, we’ll be back to the same thing in no time.

The SE strategy raises troubling questions about Apple’s vision for its portfolio:

• Is SE a necessary evil to maintain market share in certain industries?
• Is it a tacit admission that there is a group that wants iPhones at the lowest possible price and doesn’t care much more than that?

It’s true that innovation in smartphones has been slowing down for a while now. Apple clearly embraced continuity and stability, and at the time declared that the longevity of its designs was a virtue. But this claim contradicts his own narrative of continuous progress.

It will be the iPhone SE of 2025 the complex task of justifying its existence in an increasingly competitive market, where threats come from outside (an unstoppable Android market) and inside (the cheapest 14 or 15, refurbished ones from every generation).

If Apple fails to deliver compelling value and has more room for upgrades than it already has, perhaps it’s time to reconsider whether the concept of the “cheap” iPhone (insert all the quotes you want) has a place for long. term strategy.

The final irony is that in the effort to offer an affordable iPhone, Apple may be diluting the essence of what makes the iPhone special. Maintaining an obsolete product may be more costly for the brand than Apple is willing to admit.

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Featured image | AB on Unsplash