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Apple unveiled larger iPhones as the age of small smartphones comes to an end

September 24, 2018

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As anticipated, Apple launched three new iPhone models at its annual event in Cupertino, Calif. The new iPhones are called XS Max, XS, and XR, names that seem to reflect last year’s decision to switch to Roman numerals. Apple also introduced a redesigned Apple Watch 4. The three new smartphones are basically new versions of the iPhone X. The XS and XS Max are highly upgraded versions of the previous model, while the iPhone XR is a cheaper version that shares a similar design. It lacks, however, some of the premium features of its brothers, like the second camera. The new models have one thing in common: they’re all big.

Counting the losses

11 years ago, Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone and it was regarded as a revolutionary product for that time. It managed to combine three products into one: a mobile phone, an iPod and a cutting-edge internet device. Just days after its release, Apple had already sold 270,000 iPhones. It would take less than three years for the iPhone to turn into Apple’s most successful product in terms of revenue. Since its release, Apple has launched eleven generations of iPhone, each displaying new features and updates. But Apple also had to drop some things along the way.

While it did launch three new models in September, Apple also discreetly removed four of its most well-loved iPhones from its online store. The iPhone X, 6S, 6S Plus, and the iPhone SE are no longer available through the company’s website. And with the SE gone, the age of small, reliable smartphones seems to be over. The iPhone SE wasn’t considered to be particularly innovative, but it was a solid pick for those with small hands. It was also a budget-friendly alternative, with an initial price of $400 that soon dropped to $350. The new iPhones now push size and prices to a new level, with the XR cost rising to that of a previous flagship and XS and XS Max starting from $749 and $1099, respectively.

Facing criticism

With people saying that the iPhone SE was the best phone Apple ever made, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that its decision to discontinue the model faced harsh criticism. After all, the iPhone SE was the most powerful 4-inch phone ever and it did come with a budget-conscious price tag. It also featured things now missing from the newer models, like Touch ID and a headphone jack. But the Cupertino tech giant also faced criticism for designing phones too big for women’s hands, and some went as far as to say that the new iPhones were ‘sexist.’

Feminists claim that the new iPhones are ‘too big’ for the average female hand and that Apple did not design their smartphones with women in mind, even though they are more likely to buy iPhones than men. ‘From medication only tested on male bodies, to iPhones that forget to include a period tracker, it’s entirely usual to forget to design for women. But that doesn’t mean it’s ok,’ Caroline Criado Perez, a journalist and women’s rights activist wrote on Twitter. Others were soon to follow. Writer Zeynep Tufekci tweeted that while Apple is saying “welcome to the big screens,” it forces women with small hands who need a secure phone to buy something that they can’t hold properly and constantly risk dropping. She also noted that Apple designed a $5 billion headquarters without a childcare center.

Saying goodbye

It seems that goodbye is not just the hardest thing to say to someone, but also the hardest thing to say to something you love. But just how well-loved was the iPhone SE, in the end? Of the 728 million iPhones used in April 2017, the iPhone SE accounted for just 3%, while the iPhone 6 accounted for 30% of all iPhones worldwide. What is so special about these numbers? For one, the iPhone 6 includes a larger display than the SE, while the latter comes with better performance. Even if we take into account the date of the launch and the price of the device, the SE seems to lose, as both the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 7 were more popular worldwide. iPhone SE might have fought against the current trend of bigger and bigger displays, but the war is now over.