Apple has reportedly cancelled the upcoming iPhone SE

We may not get a new iPhone SE in 2024, as per analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who bases his predictions on supply chain sources. On Friday, Kuo shared in a blog post that Apple had cancelled production and shipping plans for the phone after its prediction last month that a fourth-generation iPhone SE could be cancelled or delayed. Kuo thinks the reason the phone is being phased out could be that Apple's lower-end phones were selling worse than the company expected and due to concerns that another price hike for the lineup may make it less attractive to price-conscious buyers. It won't be a surprise if Apple discontinues releasing an iPhone SE in 2024. In March, Kuo and Nikkei Asia shared that Apple was already reducing the number of iPhone SE it planned to produce just weeks after the phone's launch.

While we didn't hear much about how the phone has sold since then, it would be understandable if Apple wasn't quick to follow up on a phone that didn't make a lot of money, especially since 2023 looks like it could be tough for big tech companies. and the economy in general. The cheapest model has only had three iterations, so it's not necessarily like Apple is breaking a precedent by not releasing a new model after two years.

The third-generation iPhone SE was released two years later the second; there was a four-year gap after the first model launched. Still, it would be a bummer to see Apple let the line falter again, especially since I personally expected the next model to be a revival of the iPhone Mini form factor, as my colleague Sean Hollister suggested.

One company that may not be saddened by the potential cancellation of a new iPhone SE is Qualcomm, which makes the 5G modems for current iPhones. As per reports, Apple has been working on its own versions of the chips and, as per Kuo, planned to test them in the upcoming iPhone SE before bringing them to its flagship phones. He reports that Apple's modems haven't necessarily performed and Qualcomm's, sending the company back to the drawing board and making it likely that the 2024 iPhone 16 will continue to use Qualcomm modems, something supported by the chipmaker's own predictions that it won't lose Apple as a major source of revenue until 2025.

2024 is far, and plans can always change. Also, while Kuo is generally trustworthy, no source of rumours is perfect. He has repeatedly delayed his predictions for when Apple will launch its virtual reality headset, saying it will be out in 2022, then January 2023. On Friday, he predicted it could be delayed again due to "issues with drop tests on mechanical components" and the availability of software development tools".

Still, if Kuo is right about one or both of his predictions, it paints an uncomfortable picture for Apple, especially when combined with other reports like the one that Apple had to cut its plans for the iPhone 14 Pro's A16 chip due to rare engineering errors. His chief executive, Tim Cook, is widely known for maintaining tight control, especially regarding the supply chain. But those skills are being tested by the continuing effects of the pandemic, a weakening economy and thorny political situations worldwide.