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Target Returns iPhone SE Stock Ahead of Apple's Rumored March Event

Wednesday March 1, 2017 6:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Target this week instructed its stores to return a number of iPhone SE models to Apple by today, March 1, according to a company memo obtained by MacRumors.

iPhone SE devices that are to be returned include six unlocked 16GB and 64GB models in Gold, Silver, Rose Gold, and Space Gray, and two Sprint models.

An anonymous employee informed us that her Target store had not received iPhone SE stock since before the iPhone 7 was announced in September 2016.

While there are many possible reasons for Target to send back iPhone SE stock, such as poor sales of select models, the move comes just days or weeks before Apple's rumored March event, where a 128GB iPhone SE may be announced. However, no other hardware changes have been rumored.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said an iPhone SE refresh is unlikely in the first half of this year, so fans of Apple's lower-priced smartphone shouldn't set their hopes too high about a second-generation model yet. The original iPhone SE, which starts at $399, was introduced in March 2016.

Even without a full refresh, one possible scenario is that Apple could begin selling the iPhone SE in 32GB and 128GB capacities, doubling the storage space of the current 16GB and 64GB models, going forward.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE 2
Tag: Target
[ 151 comments ]

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jacobh101
35 months ago

The purpose of the iPhone SE is to reuse old technology and production lines to make it cheap. It will never be updated.

Thats false, on the SE they upgraded the processor, camera, ram, battery, etc.
Rating: 25 Votes
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TallManNY
35 months ago
Nice. I hope Apple just does a spec bump on the SE (CPU, RAM and camera) but otherwise keeps it pretty much the same. Great form factor and Apple seems willing to sell it at a reasonable price.
Rating: 22 Votes
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miniroll32
35 months ago
Touch ID Gen 2, 3D Touch, and you have a sale from me.
Rating: 21 Votes
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MattG
35 months ago
I love my SE...bump it to 128GB and I'd get another.
Rating: 12 Votes
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S14Drvr
35 months ago

The purpose of the iPhone SE is to reuse old technology and production lines to make it cheap. It will never be updated.


are you for real? As "new tech" becomes old it will trickle down into the SE model so your claim that it will never be updated is false. As prices fall on storage and componets etc, they are re-hashed in the SE and still sold at a profit
Rating: 10 Votes
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macsrcool1234
35 months ago
TIL that stores can return stock.
Rating: 8 Votes
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Rigby
35 months ago
The SE is pretty much the perfect phone for me as it is. If they want to upgrade it, I'd like to see the display updated to modern standards (contrast ratio and brightness), and perhaps a better front camera. Faster Touch ID would be nice, but the existing one works fine. 3D Touch? Meh.

The only thing that could lure me away would be a new phone with a similar form factor but smaller bezels ...
Rating: 7 Votes
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wiivile
35 months ago
I've been holding onto my 64gb iPhone 5S, praying for a 128GB release of the SE. Hoping that day will come soon. I like the 4" form factor and the ability for one-handed use!
Rating: 6 Votes
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Christoffee
35 months ago
Would love a MacBook SE.

Old form factor, ports, modern tech, fat battery.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Bawstun
35 months ago

The purpose of the iPhone SE is to reuse old technology and production lines to make it cheap. It will never be updated.


Wrong.
Rating: 6 Votes

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