If there’s one thing that Apple promises every year, it’s to make the iPhone bigger and better than before; more power, more performance, more storage, and more of everything, The iPhone 12 family also delivered something that flew in the face of the inflationary spec sheet. The iPhone 12 Mini.
The diminutive iPhone has been the dream iPhone of many, a smaller handset with similar specs to the main line of phones. The iPhone 12 Mini (mostly) delivered on that promise, albeit its smaller size left it with a battery that was below expectations.
The Apple iPhone 12 Mini at the Apple flagship store during a product launch event in Sydney, ... [+]
Trendforce is now reporting that Apple has decided to ‘end of life’ the production on the iPhone 12 Mini:
"Furthermore, Apple is expected to focus on driving sales of the three non-mini models in the iPhone 12s series in view of the fact that the iPhone 12 mini (which reached End-of-Life ahead of time in 2Q21) suffered disappointing sales performances compared to other models in the iPhone 12 family."
This doesn’t mean that the iPhone 12 Mini is going to suddenly disappear. Since the first post-launch reports, the retail performance of the Mini has been less than that expected, and I would expect Apple has enough stock to see it through to the iPhone 13 launch in September.
I’m also expecting Apple to continue the Mini line-up, at least for another twelve months, with the presumptively-named iPhone 13. Why stop there? Because 2022 is expected to see the launch of the next-generation iPhone SE.
And it’s the SE that has, more than anything, damaged the potential of the iPhone Mini. That there was a pent-up demand for a smaller iPhone during 2020 is not in doubt. But Apple sated much of that demand with the April release of the iPhone SE. When the iPhone 12 Mini arrived, Apple failed to gauge the demand correctly.
It’s unlikely to make the same mistake in 2021. There will be a customers looking for the smallest model of the iPhone 13, but they’re unlikely to be those who bought the iPhone 12, or the iPhone SE, given the typical length of a mobile phone contract.
For many the iPhone 12 Mini is a success. It’s a new product line, it has its fans, and it addressed a pain point for many of Apple’s customers. But it’s also the case that Apple misjudged the mood of its audience, and for once made a mistake in public.
Now read the latest headlines in the weekly Apple Loop column...
