TECH NEWS – Apple could discontinue a series of just two products with the launch of the new iPhone.
Apple will hold its Wonderlust event on September 12, to unveil the iPhone 15. In the meantime, it may quietly get rid of the iPhone 12 Mini and the iPhone 13 Mini. It’s been three years since the two handsets were released, but because neither device was so popular, Apple had to opt for a slightly more compact solution when it launched the iPhone 14 last year. While Apple’s U.S. online store continues to post a 2-3 week delivery time for the iPhone 13 Mini, according to Mark Gurman writing for Bloomberg, the Cupertino-based company has also shelved that phone.
According to MacRumors, some Mini models require a 6-8 week wait for delivery, which could suggest that the 5.4″ phone may not be available for purchase anytime soon from Apple to make room for newer devices from the company. For all handsets, the tech giant wants a minimum 6″ display. Consequently, the user base that prefers a more petite size has not been large enough to make it worthwhile to produce such devices, so Apple is treating the iPhone 12/13 Mini duo as a commercial failure. (It may release the 13 with a USB-C port, though.)
According to Omdia’s statistics, none of the Mini models were in the top 10 of the most shipped mobile phones in 2022 and 2023, and the iPhone 11 proved more popular than the pair despite being older. So the only alternative now is last year’s iPhone SE with a much smaller screen (a 4.7″ IPS LCD panelÖ, a Home button, and a disappointing 2,018 mAh battery. Even Apple’s rivals are not keen to release a phone smaller than 6″.
It follows that the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 13 Mini have failed to deliver the expected performance, so it’s becoming an industry standard that a mobile should have a minimum 6″ display. For those with small hands or trouser pockets, they are out of luck…
Source: WCCFTech
