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The Apple iPhone SE gamble paid off — sales of device are outstripping supply

By Christian de Looper Published June 7, 2016

Interested in the iPhone SE? Unfortunately you may have to wait a while. It seems as though the device is proving more popular than even Apple had expected.

In an earnings call today, CEO Tim Cook said that demand for the 4-inch device was outstripping supply. And at this point, the online Apple Store says that there is a two-to-three-week wait time for the iPhone SE.

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“We’re working hard to get the iPhone SE into the hands of every customer who wants one, as quickly as possible,” said Cook during the call.

Not only is there a significant waiting period online, but a quick search across Apple Stores in major cities around the U.S. shows the device as being unavailable for pickup almost everywhere.

The news is somewhat surprising — Apple took quite a gamble with the iPhone SE, especially in giving the device an arguably outdated design. Still, this shows that not everyone thinks bigger is better. While the flagship iPhones have been growing in size, it seems as though some users may not have been too happy about that trend. Not only that, but the iPhone SE is also quite a bit cheaper than the other iPhone models, coming in at only $399, so it’s possible that the device has reached a new user base that otherwise would not have been able to afford an iPhone.

Unfortunately for Apple, while the iPhone SE might be doing well, sales of the iPhone in general are down. During the earnings call, Apple revealed that it had suffered the first ever drop in sales of the device, falling a fairly noteworthy 16 percent compared to the prior quarter. That’s bad news for Apple — the company makes over two thirds of its revenue from the iPhone.

Only time will tell if more budget-minded phones become an important source of revenue for Apple. While we of course don’t expect the company to turn into a budget phone maker, if today’s news is anything to go by, making phones to suit a range of price points could be very lucrative for the company.

Christian de Looper

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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