NEW YORK — Going small may turn out be a smart business decision for Apple’s bottom line, but for folks like me — invested in Apple's phablet-sized phones such as the iPhone 6 Plus — there's no turning back.
The SE is aimed at the rest: the 30 million people who bought 4-inch iPhones last year or who haven't yet bought one, plus potential buyers in India, China and other developing markets for whom the lower price makes it more competitive.
And size does matter. I know people who resisted the larger iPhones and rival smartphone makers' phablets because they thought the handsets were too large.
By unveiling the iPhone SE, the company catches these buyers up with a phone that has most of the latest robust specs and improved camera capabilities of the more advanced iPhones. That means a superior 12-megapixel camera that's able to shoot "Live Photos." It means speeds that are twice as fast as the iPhone 5s, plus the ability to summon Siri with an out loud “Hey Siri” command. And it also lets customers exploit Apple Pay, Apple's mobile payments service. For the most part, think iPhone 6s in an iPhone 5s body, without features such as 3D Touch.
Indeed, such capabilities will appeal to the buyers who held off on upgrading their iPhones. Apple also made some modest tweaks to iOS, adding passwords to the Notes app and a Night Shift feature that promises to help you sleep better by shifting the color temperature on the screen.
I plan to spend some time with a smaller iPhone to see if I have a new appreciation for a more diminutive form factor. My guess: My fingers (and eyes) probably won't be able to make the switch, but there are plenty others that won't mind.
Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow USA TODAY Personal Tech Columnist @edbaig on Twitter.
