14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s 2020 iPhone SE is finally here, and you can now purchase a new “small” iPhone starting from no less than $399.
This is the most affordable iPhone that you can get right now, and it’s all possible thanks to a very smart approach that totally makes sense now. But let’s take everything one at a time to see why the iPhone SE is actually just the first phase of a long-term strategy that nobody could see coming.
First and foremost, it’s important to understand what the iPhone SE is all about.
Based on the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE uses a 4.7-inch screen, a front-facing home button with integrated Touch ID, no notch, and a single camera on the back. It looks exactly like the iPhone 8 and features many of its specs, including the 4.7-inch LCD screen.
The upgrade, however, happens under the hood, where Apple used new-generation hardware, including the company’s latest chip. So it’s essentially a new iPhone into an old iPhone, and this is exactly how Apple managed to keep the price so low. The company reduced the typical costs with research and development by using the design and parts that it already had.
And while some think the iPhone SE won’t record huge sales, the new smaller iPhone actually has a much more important role. It’s the first phase of an ambitious strategy that Apple might be planning to expand to other devices as well.
As everybody knows already, cheap products have never been Apple’s favorite cup of tea, so the company might be trying to drop the price of its devices using an approach inspired by the one used for the iPhone SE.
Rumor has it that the Cupertino giant is already working on a more affordable iPad that would also use an older design mixed with upgraded hardware under the hood. It’s pretty much the same idea that powers the iPhone SE, and Apple can keep the price at a lower level by reusing assets that it already has.
At this point, the cheapest iPad is the 10-inch model that can be yours for $329, and there’s a chance Apple would do the same thing as in the case of the iPhone SE. The new iPad would replace this model and use its price tag. If it’s even cheaper, although I’m not sure this is possible, this iPad would easily become the best-selling model in the entire tablet market.
Needless to say, this is a plan that could work in the long term as well, and why not, it could be then expanded to other devices as well.
Launching more affordable products provides Apple with the opportunity of conquering markets that have until now been dominated by Android devices. It goes without say that a $300 tablet would be a super-compelling product that many would buy instead of an Android tablet, very often manufactured by a Chinese company that doesn’t benefit from Apple’s strong brand image.
So at the end of the day, the iPhone SE is not only a smart buy right now in this price range but also a device that’s just the starting point for a broader plan that could help Apple expand beyond the super-premium market. And this is exactly what the company must do right now to bring more customers to its ecosystem, as Apple is no longer just about expensive iPhones, but also services and software that also bring home the back. And all of these can work on more affordable devices too.