Trends come and go, but there is one trend that has a hefty impact on Apple’s financials. Lower prices. As in, much lower prices from iPhone competitors.
Google’s new Pixel 3a is a plastic device that runs Android OS, the standard suite of Google apps, and comes with a very good camera and app. Will Pixel 3a steal iPhone customers away from Apple?
iPod vs. iPhone
Apple updated the lonely and lone remaining iPod touch. It starts at $199 for 32GB and runs as high at $399 for 256GB of storage. It has a faster CPU, records 1080p video, but both cameras are anemic by iPhone or even iPad standards. One can argue that iPod touch is little more than a mini iPad mini.
How much different is iPod touch 2019 different from iPhone SE? Plenty, including price. Among other items, iPhone SE had a better camera and could record 4K video. The iPhone was slightly heavier, probably accounting for battery size, 4G LTE modem and antennas.
Still, other than the inability to connect to a cellphone carrier, iPod touch is an entry-level iPhone SE. Today’s least expensive iPhone– iPhone 7– starts at $449 for 32GB of storage and older hardware that pales in significance to iPhone 8, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max, all of which are more expensive. iPhone 7 has a very good camera, runs the latest iOS version and will for years to come (take that, anything with Android OS priced less than $400). Even the display is better and only slightly larger than the much beloved iPhone SE.
Even Google’s sometimes touted Pixel 3a does not have the iPhone’s build quality and its only redeeming feature is the camera and camera app. Other than very low light situations, most users would be hard pressed to note the differences in photos from iPhone 7 vs. Pixel 3a, and iPhone videos are notoriously better than anything on Android.
If you don’t make many phone calls (I tell everyone who asks for my number that my iPhone is a special model which only dials out), iPod touch 2019 is the latest iPhone SE in that it does almost everything else– except phone calls. iPhone 7 is priced a bit higher than many mid-range Android-based smartphones, but comes with Apple’s faster CPUs, and a screen and camera combo that was best of breed just three years ago.
As much as we might want a new iPhone SE– I think the iPhone Xe monicker would fit well– Apple just doesn’t need to make one because iPhone 7 does the deed. I suspect one reason why iPhone SE was discontinued had to do with anemic sales. The interwebs tends to blow up issues beyond reality– think Mac butterfly keyboard problem— so it could be the lover affair for iPhone SE was more love than sales.
Yes, Apple can build a $399 iPhone to compete with Google’s Pixel 3a, but why bother when iPhone 7 remains a hearty competitor already.
I just wish Apple would up its game on photos shot on iPhone cameras.
