Apple closes chapter on headphone jacks, kills off 4 models from its site

We say goodbye to the iPhone SE and this classic Apple designIt’s typical for Apple, or any other tech company, to discontinue old models as they introduce new devices. This time around the company kills off four devices from its lineup: the iPhone X, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and the iPhone SE. These four phones are no longer available on Apple’s site. It seems surprising that Apple killed off the iPhone X less than a year since it was introduced, but it also seems logical with the new iPhone Xs carrying the same base model price but with better specs. Perhaps Apple didn’t want to make the iPhone X redundant.

As for the other three devices, having them taken out of Apple’s lineup means we’ve seen the last of headphone jacks on iPhones. The 6S models and the SE were the last iPhones to carry the audio port. The SE is also the last device to carry the style of the iPhone 5 and it was popular with consumers who wanted a relatively inexpensive and smaller iPhone. Right now the smallest and least expensive iPhone option is the iPhone 7 but this has a 4.7-inmch screen compared to the 4-inch one on the SE and is US$100 pricier than the SE at US$450.

Source: Insider

Report claims Apple won’t be refreshing the iPhone SE early next year

If you’ve gotten your hands on an Apple iPhone SE and are looking to get an upgrade of the device next year, that might not happen. At least according to a new research report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The reason is Apple might want to keep its margins high by subtly encouraging users to upgrade to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which are considered more margin-friendly devices.

Kuo predicts that total shipment volume of iPhones will decline in the first half of 2017 due to “tepid demand in China, slow shipment volume of 4.7-inch iPhones, and lack of an iPhone SE refresh in the second quarter of the year.” This year’s first half shipment is higher because of an “upbeat demand for the iPhone SE.”  According to Kuo, Apple might exert pressure on its component makers to drop prices to help maintain its margins and price reductions on the components could happen November or December of this year.

Source: BGR