As smartphones have evolved over the years, a very consistent pattern has emerged: they just keep getting bigger. What started out as a sleek device you could use with one hand has morphed into a two-handed video player slash texting machine. Not everyone was in favor of this change though, and Apple has indulged these holdouts several times with SE and Mini models. Now it appears the company might be rethinking that decision. Reports have come out that sales of its latest iPhone 13 Mini have been abysmal. Adding insult to injury, its brand new iPhone SE is selling so poorly the company has already cut its production by millions of units. It is indeed dark times for small phone aficionados who prefer Apple’s dainty devices.
The latest news comes from analyst John Donovan of Loop Capital via Seeking Alpha, who issued a note to investors recently. He said Apple was surprised by the lack of demand for the iPhone 12 and 13 Mini, and described their sales as “dismal.” According to Donovan, the iPhone 12 was a toe in the water to see how its customers would respond. When that phone didn’t sell, they tried again with the iPhone 13 Mini. With neither phone becoming a hit, and the recently launched iPhone SE also selling poorly, the writing suddenly appeared on the wall. Donovan describes the situation as Apple coming to realization that small phones have only “limited appeal.” To compensate, Apple has reduced its production of the iPhone SE by 20 million units, and increased its orders for the tallboy iPhone 13.
