Hello iPhone 5 SE

The bane and beauty of the Internet is that you can turn one corner and find someone who thinks just like you and then turn another corner to find someone in your opposing corner. In this case we're talking about Apple's revamped iPhone 5 SE. I've had an iPhone 6S for about 3 weeks now and I can honestly say I miss the size and handling of my iPhone 5s. So when Apple confirmed the details of the iPhone 5 SE early this week, I'm considering returning this glass screen giant. Here's why:

  • Five rows of apps (excluding the Dock) instead of six? Perfect. If it's not on my front screen it's not something I need to see. That's what Search is for.
  • The tiny vertical space for text in Drafts above the keyboard, the suggestions, and the extended keyboard row? iPhone 6s doesn't offer any extra buttons Drafts, just bigger buttons.
  • The mishits in PCalc because the key size in my preferred layout is just a skosh too small for my diminished fine motor skills? I still play video games, so my motor skills are fine.
  • The loss of thumb typing in portrait mode, which I was never able to do on the narrower phone? iPhone 6s cannot be single thumbed typed. I rocked that on my 5s.
  • The constant need to pinch and scroll in Mobile Safari because badly designed sites (i.e., most sites) have text that’s just a bit smaller than my comfort zone? That's what my iPad is for.
  • The power button is so much nicer on the side. Said no one ever.

Now I don't mean to jest at Dr Drang's expense.1 But I think the important point is that Apple is recognizing that one device doesn't fit the needs of all their customers. There was a contingent of iPhone users that wanted a larger phone - aka 6s and 6s Plus. There was also a contingent that loved the size of the 5s - aka me. 2

Thank you Tim for moving past Steve's mantra of one device for everyone.


  1. Ok I do, but I jest with love. ;-) 

  2. To be honest I still love the iPhone 4 even more. 

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