iPhone SE: Upgrades, design changes, 5G, and more

A new motion signed into law in India will require all phones, including iPhones, to feature a ‘panic button’ to call emergency services and GPS for location pings from January 1st, 2017. The provisions are being brought in to aid the ‘security of women’, via the Indian Express.

Obviously, GPS has existed in iPhones since the iPhone 3G but it seems that Apple will have to make some software modifications to iOS to comply with the panic button request.

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Apple has cut the price of its iPhone lineup in Japan including the brand-new iPhone SE, by approximately 10% across the board. The price drop can be seen online on Apple’s Japanese storefront, via Macotakara.

A 16 GB iPhone SE was selling for 52800 yen (483 dollars). The new price from today is 47800 yen (437), representing an approximate $50 saving in dollar terms. Full list of price changes after the jump …

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From iPhone 4 and beyond, I’ve never skipped out on buying a flagship iPhone. The white AT&T iPhone 4 in May 2011 was my first model, then iPhone 4s in November a month after its launch. Starting with iPhone 5, I’ve bought every flagship iPhone on day one (even camping out in line overnight at least twice). I pre-ordered the off-cycle release iPhone SE last month and switched from the top-of-the-line iPhone 6s Plus. I fully reserve the right to change my mind between now and September, but my experience with the iPhone SE so far and the current crop of iPhone 7 rumors has me thinking I just might hop off the upgrade train for the first time. Here’s why:

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Although Apple usually updates its iOS adoption statistics on a fortnightly basis, the company had strangely stopped updating its iOS chart last month. As iOS 9 growth appeared to have stalled, perhaps the numbers simply didn’t change significantly in that time. However, this week Apple has updated the chart with a significant jump, now reporting iOS 9 was seen on 84% of active devices as of April 18th. With iOS 10 set to be announced in June (and internal testing gradually ramping — see below), it appears iOS 9 will end up peaking around the 90% adoption mark in line with previous versions.

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In this week’s top stories, attention turned from the iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7 to what’s coming next from Apple, as stories surrounding the iPhone 7 and the future of Apple’s MacBook lineup rounded out the most shared articles of the week. But not far behind was Zac’s review of the iPhone SE followed by analysis of the new iPad Pro’s 9.7-inch display showing record mobile display performance and possible hints at what’s to come from iPhone 7 this fall.

As always, we have the easy links to those stories and the rest of this week’s most shared news and videos below:

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In this episode, Zac and Benjamin give their final thoughts on the iPhone SE. Worth buying? Also, we’ll talk about the Apple Watch refresh cycle and a ton more. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed.

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There was a time just a few years back when the 4-inch screen was considered Apple’s big phone. After five generations of 3.5-inch screens, Apple made the iPhone taller in 2012 with the 4-inch iPhone 5. The width remained the same in a “common sense” move that maintained easy one-hand use for most people, and the 16:9 aspect ratio framed video playback perfectly. Two years later, Apple upgraded the iPhone with two new models: 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch, but no new 4-inch iPhone until now.

iPhone SE is the first upgrade to this size since the iPhone 5s in 2013. It’s a huge specs upgrade if you’re coming from an iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, or earlier. And in some cases like mine, iPhone SE is mostly on par with Apple’s iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus flagships. But there are a few limitations of varying importance plus a few oddities that should be considered before buying … even with the relatively competitive price tag on iPhone SE.

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Our top stories this week include our hands-on coverage and real-world testing of the new iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7-inch, as well as the latest on what to expect from the next generation iPhone 7 and iPhone sales going forward. Apple also attracted some attention with the announcement of new Hermès Apple Watch bands this week, and we had a handful of notable iOS and Mac app launches and updates.

Stories surrounding the Apple and FBI controversy over encryption came to a slow as the FBI officially confirmed the hack it discovered does not work with the iPhone 5s or later iPhones. Head below for the handy links to all of this week’s top stories. 

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Shopping analytics giant Kantar Worldpanel reports that Apple’s smartphone has experienced its first fall in market share in urban China since 2014.

“For the first time since August 2014, iOS share did not grow in urban China in the 3 months ending February,” said Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. “iOS declined 3.2 percentage points between February 2015 and February 2016.”

Kantar said that the increasing popularity of local smartphone brands was the main reason for the fall …

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I use this diary format to provide my take on iDevices for three reasons. First, because initial impressions can be misleading. Second, because tastes, of course, vary. And third, in recognition of the fact that you can’t really look at a single device in isolation – we also need to understand the role it plays in our own personal Apple ecosystem.

If I were looking to have just two devices – a laptop and a phone – then there would be only one sensible choice for me: the iPhone 6s Plus. As a pocket computer (which is of course what the iPhone is), the iPhone 6s Plus is an extremely capable device which offers an excellent compromise between a smaller iPhone and an iPad.

But, for me, that would be too great a compromise. I’d be giving up the ability to carry it in most trouser pockets (YTrousersMV) without gaining the usability benefits of an iPad-sized screen. It is, to me, a little too large for comfortable handling and a little too small for comfortable viewing and typing.

I am, though, in the fortunate position of not having to make that kind of compromise. I have an array of iDevices, so I’m able to assign each a much more specific role – something which has a significant impact on my perception of the relative pros & cons of the iPhone 6s versus the iPhone SE …

KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo – an analyst with an excellent track-record on AAPL – has forecast that year-on-year iPhone shipments will continue to fall this year, and end up well below market expectations. In an investment note seen by 9to5Mac, KGI says that total 2016 iPhone shipments will likely fall below 200M units, and that the iPhone 7 will see lower sales than the iPhone 6s/Plus.

Kuo says that lower-than-expected iPhone 6s/Plus sales showed that replacement demand was falling in developed markets, while new demand from emerging markets has not yet picked up the slack. KGI does not believe that the launch of the iPhone 7 later this year will be sufficiently appealing to see the iPhone return to growth …

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Apple’s plan to sell used iPhones in India to bring new customers into the Apple ecosystem has met with strong opposition, reports Bloomberg. A newly-formed lobbying group has sent a letter to the government asking it to deny Apple the official approval it would need to begin the sales – and one of the companies behind the group is Samsung.

“Why even consider allowing import of used phones when import of other used goods such as cars are precluded by 300 percent duty levies?” asked Ravinder Zutshi, chairman of the newly formed Mobile and Communications Council, which issued the letter. The group’s members include the largest Indian phone brands: Micromax, Intex and Samsung … 

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Apple’s 40th birthday week came alongside some troubles for iOS 9.3, as our top stories this week surrounded a number of bugs, fixes and responses from Apple related to iOS 9.3 problems and the fix with the release of iOS 9.3.1.

But those issues were balanced out by our excitement over our first impressions with the new iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro, as well as the latest leaks for iPhone 7 and other upcoming next-generation iPhones.

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The iPhone SE is here, and we’ve given your our initial impressions as well as a look at some of the device’s top features. Now it’s time to talk more about the key differences that differentiate the iPhone 5s from the iPhone SE.

The one key difference that Apple likes to keep under the radar is the amount of RAM included in its mobile devices. It’s ironic, because this is arguably one of the biggest changes between the iPhone 5s and iPhone SE, and it makes a noticeable difference in day to day usage. Watch our video, and see for yourself.
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I had two immediate impressions when first picking up the iPhone SE. First, ‘wow this feels small!’. Having gotten used to the iPhone 6 and 6s as the new normal, the SE really does feel like an iPhone mini when you first handle it.

But the second, which followed seconds later, was ‘… in a good way.’

I’m old enough to have used the very first mobile phones, which were ginormous. For many years, the primary goal of manufacturers as they introduced successive models was to make them smaller and smaller. Smaller was newer, sexier and more hi-tech.

Picking up the iPhone SE gave me that feeling all over again. It didn’t feel like a step down, it actually felt like a step up. It was like ‘wow, Apple has managed to fit (almost) all of that 6s tech into this much more pocketable phone.’ And yes, this thing fits sideways into jeans pockets, and gives no sense of being at risk of falling out of other trouser pockets while cycling.

My third impression – and I think this is something I could only say to a tech audience like you, because you’ll understand – was feeling like I was welcoming back an old friend. I remembered how much I love this design. It truly is a classic that looks every bit as great today as it did when it was first introduced …

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We got our first look inside the iPhone SE a couple of days ago when Chipworks took one apart. The company revealed then some of the mix of old and new components, but iFixit has now provided a closer look in its own teardown.

The main finding is that the entire display assembly is straight out of the iPhone 5S – right down to the FaceTime camera, which explains why that remained a paltry 1.2MP unit instead of the 5MP version in the iPhone 6S …

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