There’s a new iPhone coming into town, according to the latest reports. If you’re not ready for the iPhone 12 Mini, don’t worry… this is potentially a smart marketing move from Tim Cook and his team at Apple.

HANGZHOU, CHINA - APRIL 24, 2020 - A customer shows a newly purchased phone Se in Hangzhou, Zhejiang ... [+]

The latest nudge to the naming convention comes from noted Apple source L0vetodream to Twitter. Benjamin Mayo looks at the news:

"He says that the new iPhone lineup will be called iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The iPhone 12 is expected to be officially announced by Apple in October. These brand names have been circling around the rumor mill for a while, but l0vetodream has built up a good track record of accuracy this year, making this leak particularly notable.”

With four models being discussed, the expectation was on an iPhone 12 and an iPhone 12 Pro, with both receiving suitable ‘Max’ models offering the next level of functionality. This could have potentially seen some confusion with consumers struggling to quickly understand which would be better between the iPhone 12 Pro or the iPhone 12 Max.

A move to label the smallest member of the iPhone 12 family the iPhone 12 Mini will counter this quite nicely.

First of all it creates a nice ladder of products that is far easier to understand. You would have the iPhone 12 mini, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Everything fits in nicely.

It also matches the lower end of the iPad ladder. That goes iPad Mini, iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro. While the ‘AIr’ monied appears to be going out of fashion in the MacBook line-up, it still stands for something in the tablet market..

Finally, it also helps Apple Store staff with the up-sell. The previous ladder allowed the lower priced entry level phone to be seen as the natural choice because it was the one called ‘iPhone’. Now that honor goes to the second rung, which naturally comes at a higher price. Yes you could have a ‘mini’ but the perception will be that to get a true iPhone experience will mean you have to get the phone called ‘iPhone’.

I’m curious to see how the iPhone mini will interact with the iPhone SE. The latter is already established as the budget option, even though it is clearly the mid-range handset that is taking on the likes of the Google Pixel 4a and the OnePlus Nord. The former will likely be physically smaller, which supports the mini moniker, and the price will put some clear water between the two devices. Will that be enough in the marketplace to make the iPhone 12 Mini a success, or will success be seen as pushing people towards the iPhone 12 (nee iPhone 12 Pro)?

Source: Forbes