The iPhone SE deserves a party, not a press release

Good news, everyone! The next version of the iPhone SE is set to arrive sooner than expected. The latest report now puts the launch at sometime in February (it could even be announced today, ruining this article’s shelf life), rather than March or early April that’s more usual for products that don’t fit in Apple’s fall and summer slates. Given that we’ve been waiting since March 2022 it feels a little presumptuous to call this early, but let’s at least try to be positive and say that our long national nightmare is almost over.

If Apple has chosen to bring forward the launch, we don’t have to look far for reasons. One is the company’s need to increase usage of its AI platform, which makes it vital to get an Apple Intelligence-ready mass-market smartphone in stores. The other is the company’s failure to prepare for incoming EU regulations, resulting in it having no budget iPhone on sale across numerous markets since the start of this year. Apple needs the next SE, and soon.

I do wonder, though, whether Apple really grasps the importance of the SE to its mission. For one thing, up until this recent injection of urgency, the product has followed a truly glacial upgrade cycle. Since the first model came out in March 2016, almost nine years ago, Apple has managed two further models, neither of which have done much to evolve the form factor. I appreciate that budget buyers are less demanding when it comes to state-of-the-art technology, but you hit a snag when a phone has a dated design and then doesn’t change for three years. You can’t take customers for granted.

Another clue to Apple’s priorities is the likely lack of fanfare surrounding this launch. Mark Gurman, the leaker who last week predicted the phone would come out in a matter of days, says it won’t be unveiled at an event, so we’re probably looking at a website update and email. It doesn’t quite compare to Lana Del Rey at the 2018 iPad Pro unveiling. But why would Apple bother to generate hype for a product it doesn’t believe in?

The iPhone SE is the sort of product that Apple’s customers like, but Apple hates. Its profit margin is scant compared to flagship iPhone models, and its more basic design and feature set means it has far less capacity to dazzle an owner’s friends (or infuriate their enemies) and evangelize the Apple lifestyle. Cupertino is notorious for wanting to control the user experience–the fact that this is lessening is due to political and regulatory pressure and is in no way a reflection of changed priorities–and a major reason behind this is a desire to present products, even after being sold, at their very best. Apple’s customers are its most numerous and frequently most enthusiastic salespeople, and you can’t sell effectively if you haven’t got a top-of-the-line kit.

But the tech world is changing, and the philosophies that have brought Apple to this point may not serve it well in the second half of this decade. The days of shifting millions of expensive smartphones may be numbered, as the improvements become less and less worthwhile and each generation blends into the next. Last week I talked about Apple’s commitment to the long-term pivot away from dependence on the iPhone and towards related products, services, AI, and so on. But it doesn’t yet seem to understand the corollary of that plan: that in the future, the number of iPhone owners will be more important than the amount of money they each paid.

The iPhone SE, like the 10th-gen iPad now and the iPod long ago, has the power of accessibility. It’s easy to use and (relatively) cheap to buy, making it perfect for bringing new customers (and new markets) into the fold and keeping existing customers loyal in periods of economic uncertainty. Given its many benefits, and the three-year gap since the last model, the least Apple could do for the launch of the next SE is throw a party.

Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.

Trending: Top stories

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Can we still trust Apple? A few recent events give Peter Müller pause.

Apple is doomed because it can’t see the future, reckons the Macalope.

There’s a magical iPhone feature hiding in your new Mac that you need to try!

Apple has launched a brand-new Invites app infused with AI… and it Invites copycat criticism.

Apple killed the wrong Vision Pro project! Stylish smart glasses are the way forward.

Apple shares a secret MacBook tip that power users will love.

If you owned an early-gen Apple Watch, you could be getting $50.

Podcast of the week

AI is all the rage, and Apple Intelligence is supposed to change how we use our Apple devices. But has it? We discuss this question on the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast.

You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.

Reviews corner

The rumor mill

A calm month for once? Here’s everything we expect from Apple in February 2025.

Or maybe not so calm. The new iPhone SE launch might be just days away…

Forget the M4, the M5 iPad Pro and Macs are on track for release this year.

Apple reportedly ends its Mac-connected Augmented Reality glasses project.

Software updates, bugs, and problems

I received the worst iPhone text scam ever. Thanks, Apple!

Hackers are using AI to attack your Mac and it’s only going to get worse.

Apple rolls out mysterious iOS update for a single iPhone model.

And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.