Is The iPhone SE Really A Huge Flop For Apple?
There are some people who expected the iPhone SE to cause the same type of lines as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus did. Techno Buffalo explained the reasons why people were calling the phone a flop.
“Data published by SimilarWeb on Wednesday suggests that desktop traffic to Apple’s website following the launch of the iPhone SE on March 21 was down… way down compared to previous launches. The analytics firm said daily traffic only increased 83 percent over a normal day on Apple.com, while other launches saw much higher traffic increases.”
However, the same article describes why the statistics don’t really mean much. The iPhone SE isn’t a flagship phone; it’s a specialty phone aimed at lower-priced markets. The strategy seems to work as the iPhone SE saw amazing first-day traffic in markets such as China and India.
Some don’t buy Techno Buffalo‘s analysis in the comments section.
“This article is wrong. This is not a smartphone for emerging markets, its too small, still too expensive and even more expensive in those markets outside the US,” says BritishGuy94.
“Typical! Apple’s new iPhone even when it doesn’t do very well seems like these articles can only focus on the good aspects of the phone. Why criticize the iPhone if it’s popular brand?” says Fallacies of the United States.
“All that said, the iPhone SE was seemingly well positioned to help bolster iPhone sales during traditionally lower volume sales months. And yet, for reasons that aren’t exactly clear, Apple launched the iPhone SE with embarrassingly low supply,” writes columnist Yoni Heisler, who claims to have experienced a difficult time finding the 64GB version of the iPhone SE available.
Heisler then says what many skeptics are saying about Apple suddenly announcing how great iPhone SE sales are.
“Over the past few days, we’ve seen reports that iPhone SE supply simply can’t keep up with demand. While perhaps technically true, a more precise take would be that iPhone SE supply was ridiculously low at launch.”
Since its release more than a week ago, the iPhone SE has received some great reviews. The Motley Fool says Apple’s latest is an excellent mid-range smartphone.
“The iPhone SE brings virtually all of the internal horsepower of the iPhone 6s to a 4-inch package, which should satisfy the first set of buyers. The device also starts at $399 without a contract, with the price moving up to $499 for the model with 64 gigabytes of storage.”
CNET gives the iPhone SE four stars. Reviewer Scott Stein notes that the smartphone packs nearly every great feature from the iPhone 6s into a smaller and more affordable phone. It’s also compatible with the old iPhone 5 or 5s cases and accessories. He doesn’t like the fact that the selfie cam doesn’t get a megapixel upgrade and there is no 3D touch like there is on the iPhone 6s.
The iPhone SE appears to be a great option for those who like the power of the current iPhone but miss having a smaller phone. The audience the iPhone SE is aimed for is a niche one, so it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to call the iPhone SE a flop.
[Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images]
