Tim is teasing something new

16e is $599 US which is $200 less than the 16. The 15 is $699. It is interesting because the 16e is a close match to the 16 in terms of base capabilities.
 
RAM is 8 GB, same as other iPhone 16's. Presumably it was increased from iPhone 15's 6 GB to better run AI algorithms.

But how's that going to work, given that most iPhones in circulation are <=6 GB? Are upcoming AI features going to work on the >= iPhone 16 only? Or wlll they work on older phones, but much more slowly, because they'll have to swap to the SSD?

And what about the comparison to Macs, whose minimum RAM was increased to much more than 8 GB (16 GB), also presumably to accommodate AI? The obvious answer is that, even for the same AI algorithms, Macs need more RAM b/c, unlike iPhones, they typically run multiple RAM-heavy apps simultaneously. Or could it be that Apple plans to implement AI algorithms on MacOS that have higher RAM requirements than those it uses on iOS?

This is purely idle curiosity for me, since I have an iPhone 13 Mini, and don't anticipate much fancy AI functionality at all. I'm good with forgoing that, given the Mini's vastly superior pocketability to any subsequent iPhone. I'd much rather have a phone that I can forget is in my front pants pocket, even if its functionality is more limited—particularly since I don't use my phone extensively.

But I'm a small minority of the population, which is why they discontinued it. Everyone else likes the bigger screens. The best replacement we Mini owners can anticipate is the foldable iPhone, but only if they include a version with a small form factor (like the wallet-sized Z-Flip) in their lineup. If they only offer a Z-Fold-sized form factor, we're out of luck.
 
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theorist9 said:
RAM is 8 GB, same as other iPhone 16's. Presumably it was increased from iPhone 15's 6 GB to better run AI algorithms.

But how's that going to work, given that most iPhones in circulation are <=6 GB? Are upcoming AI features going to work on the >= iPhone 16 only? Or wlll they work on older phones, but much more slowly, because they'll have to swap to the SSD?

And what about the comparison to Macs, whose minimum RAM was increased to much more than 8 GB (16 GB), also presumably to accommodate AI? The obvious answer is that, even for the same AI algorithms, Macs need more RAM b/c, unlike iPhones, they typically multiple RAM-heavy apps simultaneously. Or could it be that Apple plans to implement AI algorithms on MacOS that have higher RAM requirements than those it uses on iOS?

This is purely idle curiosity for me, since I have an iPhone 13 Mini, and don't anticipate much fancy AI functionality at all. I'm good with forgoing that, given the Mini's vastly superior pocketability to any subsequent iPhone. I'd much rather have a phone that I can forget is in my front pants pocket, even if its functionality is more limited—particularly since I don't use my phone extensively.

But I'm a small minority of the population, which is why they discontinued it. Everyone else likes the bigger screens. The best replacement we Mini owners can anticipate is the foldable iPhone, but only if they include a version with a small form factor (like the wallet-sized Z-Flip). If they only offer a Z-Fold-sized form factor, we're out of luck.
Click to expand...
Fellow mini lover here - 12 mini. 😞
 
Apparently the A18 in the 16e is a binned variant with one fewer GPU core:

www.notebookcheck.net

The new Apple A18’s 4-core GPU may be better than you might think

Apple has finally launched its budget-friendly iPhone 16e, ditching the old naming scheme and giving it a powerful A18 SoC. The GPU part of the chip lost one core on its way to the new phone but in spite of that fact, its performance might hold a few pleasant surprises for the user.
www.notebookcheck.net www.notebookcheck.net
 
MacPoulet said:
Funny thing though, so many people I talk to at work (university) complain about how big their phone is…
Click to expand...
Question to ask them (assuming they are iPhone users): If Apple made another Mini, would you buy it?

Would be interesting to hear their replies. People might complain about phone size, but at the same time not be willing to get something smaller.

If so, they might be good candiadates for a foldable, assuming Apple offers a Z-Flip size, and assuming they don't mind paying the price (which will probably be based on the unfolded size, since that's what determines the BOM, and will thus likely be in the Pro Max range).
 
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For those who would rather not watch the video, Tom Shardware has a good summary of the C1. Tom says that the 16E lacks the capability of some power-hungry wireless protocols, but it is not clea whether these are effectively fuse-offs (i.e., just not enabled functions) in favor of battery life or are actually missing from C1.

The obvious thing here is that C1 will start appearing in Macs, probably starting with MBAs in April. If the capabilities are not actually in C1, obviously MBAs are the place to debut the first gen hardware and save the refined version for more expensive models.
 
I very much doubt that. The first cellular Apple laptop (if they ever do it) will be a MacBook Pro. And the proper Mn Pro versions starting at $1999.
 
theorist9 said:
Question to ask them (assuming they are iPhone users): If Apple made another Mini, would you buy it?

Would be interesting to hear their replies. People might complain about phone size, but at the same time not be willing to get something smaller.

If so, they might be good candiadates for a foldable, assuming Apple offers a Z-Flip size, and assuming they don't mind paying the price (which will probably be based on the unfolded size, since that's what determines the BOM, and will thus likely be in the Pro Max range).
Click to expand...
Good point! I will definitely ask that as a follow-up. I bet Apple probably has, and given the number of people who complain about a big phone but aren’t willing to get a smaller screen, they figured a mini isn’t cost-effective.
 
MacPoulet said:
Good point! I will definitely ask that as a follow-up. I bet Apple probably has, and given the number of people who complain about a big phone but aren’t willing to get a smaller screen, they figured a mini isn’t cost-effective.
Click to expand...
I saw an industry report saying iPhone 13 Mini sales were only 3% of total iPhone 13 sales. If so, I can see why they cancelled it. Though an alternative solution would be to release it only every three years--and let customes know it's going on 3-year cycle. Then the sales should be higher because of pent-up demand among the subgroup that wants a small phone.

It's also possible that Mini sales suffered because of its shorter battery life. But if that were a significant factor, it's easy to address. I did a back-of-the-envelope calculation, and found they could increase the battery capacity by ≈20% by making it just 0.5 mm thicker. Of course, then people could complain about its thickness.
 
I am in regular contact with 50+ iPhone users of every age, income level and tech savviness here in SoCal. Exactly one opted for an iPhone mini over the last four years. And she is a very petite woman with very small hands.
 
Vincent Hannah said:
I am in regular contact with 50+ iPhone users of every age, income level and tech savviness here in SoCal. Exactly one opted for an iPhone mini over the last four years. And she is a very petite woman with very small hands.
Click to expand...
≈50 samples is too few to accurately assess the frequency of a lower-probability event. Nevertheless, the percentage you found (≈2%) is in the same ballpark as the 3% I read from the industry report.

If you had a larger sample size, you would have found there are other reasons people want the Mini besides hand size. It's also bought by men who, lacking a purse or handbag, have to carry it in their pockets, and find larger phones aren't comfortable there.
 
theorist9 said:
≈50 samples is too few to accurately assess the frequency of a lower-probability event. Nevertheless, the percentage you found (≈2%) is in the same ballpark as the 3% I read from the industry report.

If you had a larger sample size, you would have found there are other reasons people want the Mini besides hand size. It's also bought by men who, lacking a purse or handbag, have to carry it in their pockets, and find larger phones aren't comfortable there.
Click to expand...

Checking my trophy collection, of my 700 victims, none had iPhone minis.
 
I am aware that the plural of anecdote is not data. My 50 sample size is indeed too small, but thought to was interesting nonetheless. More anecdata: of those 50, at least 30 are iPhone Pro Maxes. People like big phones.
 

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