Mark Gurman: Apple could/should sell the older iPhone SE for $`99

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman thinks that  when Apple introduces a 5G version of the iPhone SE, which could come as soon as early March, the tech giant might (or at least should) sell the older iPhone SE for US$199. 

He writes: A device priced at $200 could make inroads in regions like Africa, South America and parts of Asia that are currently Android strongholds. That would let Apple Inc. sign up more customers for services, potentially making a low-end iPhone quite lucrative for Apple in the long run. But so far, the company has steered well clear of that approach.

In 2013, when carrier subsidies began to disappear and demand for a lower-cost iPhone grew, Apple executives said they wouldn’t release a cheap model just to blindly chase market share. It did put out the lower-end SE in 2016, but the phone was $399—well above the level of many Androids—and the price never came down over the following five years. The company has stuck by Steve Jobs’s ‘don’t ship junk’ ethos.

Apple’s next big event will most likely be on March 8, according to Gurman. At that time, you can expect to see the new iPhone SE, a new MacBook Air, and possibly (though more of a long shot) a new Apple Silicon Mac.

Look for the 4.7-inch entry-level iPhone to sport an updated A14 Bionic processor. The fifth-generation iPad Air will likely have similar features as the sixth-generation iPad mini. The features will include an A15 Bionic chip, 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage support, 5G for cellular models, and Quad-LED True Tone flash.

As for a new Mac, that could be the anticipated 27-inch iMac update (although that’s more likely coming in the summer or fall) or a revamped Mac mini.