iPhone 6 sales are booming and
Picked up by GSM Arena, the story originates from notable Chinese site Feng.com (in Chinese) and it claims the 4-inch iPhone 6 will be launched next year to replace the iPhone 5C.
Is it true? At this stage it is impossible to know, but in my opinion the argument for a 4-inch iPhone 6 is growing and I believe Apple would be mad not to make it. Here are my five reasons why:
1. Choice
Apple has never been the greatest purveyor of choice. The company decides what is best for its customers and then it is Apple’s way or the highway, but abandoning the size of its most popular ever product is ballsy even for Apple.
Furthermore, despite the success of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, there are a large number of grumbling iPhone owners who are not prepared to go bigger. Eventually time will force them to upgrade, but why force when you can have them joyfully snapping your hand off.
Read more - iPhone 6 Vs iPhone 6 Plus Review: Which Is Best?
2. Natural Fit
Small, Medium and Large makes for a very natural selection. Apple has already had great success with the iPod mini/nano and iPad mini ranges and stocking an iPhone 6 mini, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus trips off the tongue.
3. Better Budget Option
Right now Apple’s cheapest iPhone is essentially a two year old iPhone 5 in a plastic chassis. Then there’s the ‘budget-ish’ iPhone 5S, a year old phone which doesn’t match the design of the new iPhone 6 series. That's four phones spread across three generations with four storage options.
A 4-inch iPhone 6 can replace both the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S as the budget option. It unifies the design of the range and, if launched when the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus appear, could use iPhone 6 internals and an iPhone 6-matching 720p resolution to avoid complications for app developers.
In addition the size would be ideal for parents’ looking for a high quality handset for their children.
4. Lack of Competition
Cynics said Apple’s move to larger iPhone screens would damage it with more direct competition available from rivals. It hasn’t but Apple has also abandoned a form factor where it faced almost no competition as alternatives get bigger and bigger and bigger.
The closest is the 4.6-inch Sony Xperia Z3 Compact that in reality goes head-to-head with the iPhone 6. Apple’ would have the (truly) one-handed smartphone market entirely to itself.
Read more - iPhone 6 And iPhone 6 Plus vs iPhone 5S And iPhone 5: Should You Upgrade?
5. Guaranteed success
Not only do points 1 to 4 suggest a 4-inch iPhone 6 mini would be a success, but the red hot sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus virtually guarantee it.
Their design is tried and tested (bendgate and the ridiculous hairgate aside) and critical response has been uniformly positive. Making a 'mini' version that is perfect for one handed use, no matter your hand size, won't harm that.
The Cannibalisation Argument
Of course the main counterpoint to all this is that a 4-inch iPhone 6 might cannibalise sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. This shouldn’t matter. Apple has famously retained roughly equal profit margins whether you buy a new or old iPhone. So instead the company is just adding even more sales.
None of which touches upon the fact that a 4-inch iPhone 6 mini would also be the perfect gateway for new customers, show loyalty to existing customers, be less imposing, open up a new line of accessories and both simplify and unify the range.
To me, it is a no brainer.
Read more - iPhone 6: Why Apple Made Massive New iPhones
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