It was the spring of 1998. Steve Jobs had already returned to Apple, and the corporate was months away from revealing the now-iconic iMac. Then, out of nowhere, Apple launched the Energy Macintosh G3 All-in-One in March of that yr. Nicknamed the “Molar Mac” as a result of its tooth-like form, the Macintosh G3 AIO was an uncommon Mac. It was principally fundamental however featured a translucent design and had simply detachable internals that required simply 4 screws to entry. It was additionally the one All-in-One Mac to help three storage codecs: a floppy drive, a CD-ROM, and a ZIP drive. Moreover, it was one of many first Apple computer systems to ship with an ATA laborious drive reasonably than a SCSI drive.
The G3 AIO was heavy—weighing 60 kilos—and designed for the schooling market. It was the polar reverse of the unique iMac, but it additionally hinted at what was to return with the iMac. When it launched, the G3 AIO acquired a polarising response. Regardless, it was a bizarre product that arrived simply earlier than the iMac. Equally, the brand new iPhone 16e might not be as straightforward to grasp as Apple goals for, inserting it in the identical “bizarre” class. No marvel the iPhone 16e is the strangest product Apple has made in over a decade.
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At first, the iPhone 16e could look like the true successor to the iPhone SE that many had been ready for—however it’s not. Actually, the iPhone 16e seems to have been recreated utilizing the identical exterior chassis because the older iPhone 14, which is what many gathered from Apple’s temporary presentation at launch. Nevertheless, the brand new gadget is not only a repurposed iPhone 14 both. The iPhone 16e additionally isn’t merely a stripped-down model of the iPhone 16, as most individuals assumed. That leaves one query: what the heck is the iPhone 16e?
In actuality, nonetheless, the iPhone 16e is a fusion of each new and outdated—going past what the iPhone SE aimed to be and what the baseline iPhone represents. The result’s a bizarre gadget, however principally in good methods.
A market phase ready to be tapped
Nevertheless, to totally perceive the iPhone 16e, one should first perceive the market alternative Apple sought to seize. Apple hasn’t had an iPhone within the Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 value vary offered as new (excluding these accessible for much less after reductions and financial institution affords).
With the iPhone 16e, Apple clearly focused a value phase the place it beforehand had no direct providing however noticed a chance to develop—an entry level into the premium phase. A fast Google search exhibits that Apple’s personal iPhones, principally older fashions just like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15, have been accessible on this value vary, with little competitors from main gamers together with Samsung. Whereas some could argue that the older iPhone 15, accessible for simply Rs 2,000 extra, is a greater deal, the iPhone 16e (begins at Rs 59,900) has its personal benefits. It runs on a more moderen, sooner chipset and helps Apple Intelligence—options lacking from the iPhone 15.
If historical past tells us one factor, it’s that Apple has usually phased out its personal merchandise to make room for brand new ones. It did this with the iPod, which was ultimately folded into the iPhone, and equally, it has finished the identical with the iPhone 16e. Upon its launch, all older iPhones with a Lightning port had been discontinued from Apple’s on-line shops—a choice that additionally aligns with new EU rules requiring USB-C ports in newer smartphones. Whereas the iPhone SE, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 will stay accessible till shares final (particularly in India, the place there may be nonetheless demand for older iPhones), Apple is positioning the iPhone 16e as the brand new entry level into the Apple ecosystem. With cashback affords factored in, the gadget covers a wider phase, concentrating on each new customers and current ones searching for a substitute.
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Maybe the reasoning behind the “16e” branding over “SE” additionally performs a job in how Apple needs to be perceived in markets like India and China. Gross sales of previous iPhone SE fashions have by no means come near these of the mainline iPhone collection, partly as a result of how lower-tier smartphones—even these from Apple—are considered in status-conscious societies.
The ‘inexpensive luxurious’ smartphone phase
For this reason a tool just like the iPhone SE could not work immediately, largely as a result of altering client behaviour. Just like the posh purse market, we see two distinct varieties of luxurious smartphone shoppers. The primary group, significantly these in search of high-end smartphones just like the iPhone 16 Professional Max, continues to buy with extra discretion however stays dedicated to premium manufacturers. The second group, targeted extra on accessible luxurious, is what Apple appears to be concentrating on with the iPhone 16e’s pricing. This group is price-sensitive and sometimes opts for lower-priced options however isn’t essentially loyal to at least one explicit model. Nevertheless, they aren’t keen to purchase an iPhone SE, nor do they wish to accept second-hand iPhones. That is the place Apple could have seen a chance for the iPhone 16e—to cater to an addressable phase that wanted extra accessible merchandise whereas nonetheless partaking price-sensitive shoppers, all with out compromising its premium model positioning. Historically, shoppers on this phase aren’t loyalists however Apple needs to alter that and the place the iPhone 16e is available in.
However this phase hasn’t seen a lot motion over time and, therefore, wanted a reinvention of types. Apple didn’t want a less expensive iPhone to entice shoppers however reasonably a brand new kind of iPhone—one which’s a bit completely different however constructed on the identical basis that made the iPhone so profitable.
iPhone 16e is a special iPhone
The iPhone 16e is that gadget as a result of it’s a new iPhone internally—not an iPhone SE substitute, undoubtedly not a repurposed iPhone 14. Whereas it comes near the iPhone 16, it’s visually distinct from some other iPhone in the marketplace immediately. Perhaps it shares a few of the identical concepts that the iPhone SE as soon as stood for, however a better take a look at the iPhone 16e reveals that it has been designed in another way from different iPhones.
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First, the iPhone 16e has fully new internals, beginning with its most intriguing piece of expertise: the mobile modem. The C1 modem is Apple’s first in-house designed mobile modem (Cupertino’s acquisition of Intel’s smartphone modem enterprise now begins to make sense), constructed to offer 5G protection. Many customers could not even discover it, however integrating a brand new mobile modem required a revamped inside design.
Apple positive factors two key benefits by utilizing its personal customized modem for iPhones a) Higher management over the provision chain, decreasing its dependency on Qualcomm. b) The flexibility to totally optimize Apple Silicon, resulting in improved battery life. And that’s the place issues get actually fascinating. Whereas the entire concept behind the iPhone SE was to reuse current internals, the iPhone 16e encompasses a fully new inside construction.
However issues get a bit bizarre with the battery life on the iPhone 16e. Apple claims the gadget can obtain 26 hours of video playback, whereas the dearer baseline iPhone 16 manages solely 22 hours on a single cost. So, the iPhone 16e not solely has higher battery life but additionally features a new mobile modem—options you don’t get on the iPhone 16. Maintain on… there’s extra. The iPhone 16e additionally comes with an Motion button that may set off shortcuts (as seen on the iPhone 16). Curiously, it additionally helps Visible Intelligence search, one of many key promoting factors of the newer iPhones outfitted with a devoted Digicam Management button. With the iPhone 16e supporting Visible Intelligence search through the Motion button, it raises an fascinating query: What’s the want for the Digicam Management button that Apple closely promoted on the iPhone 16 collection?
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Reinvent and reimagine
The extra you attempt to perceive the iPhone 16e, the weirder it will get. All over the place, Apple claims that the iPhone 16e has the identical A18 chip because the iPhone 16 collection. However should you learn between the traces, it turns into clear that the A18 chip within the iPhone 16e has a four-core GPU, whereas the iPhone 16 has 5 cores, and the iPhone 16 Professional fashions have six cores. So, not even the chip is identical as the opposite iPhone 16 fashions.
All of this proves that the iPhone 16e just isn’t the identical because the iPhone 16—or some other iPhone for that matter—but it’s nonetheless very a lot an iPhone. It affords higher battery life, a brand new customized mobile modem, the Motion Button able to performing Visible Intelligence searches, and fully new internals, all housed in a distinctly completely different chassis. The iPhone 16e is undeniably unconventional however refreshingly completely different from different iPhones in the marketplace. Nevertheless, don’t name it a funds iPhone—as a result of it’s not. The iPhone 16e could spark excessive reactions and even confuse some folks, however even when it flops, it proves that Apple isn’t afraid to attempt one thing new.
