- The iPhone SE has been discontinued.
- Getty Images North America
At the launch of the three new iPhones, Apple announced the discontinuation of iPhone SE, and this has upset many feminists.
They argue that Apple has taken away the option for women to buy smaller devices that they need, because as compared to the average male’s hand, the average female hand is an inch shorter in width.
The screen width of the new iPhone X models ranges from 5.8 inches to 6.5 inches, compared to the smaller iPhone SE, which has a tinier screen at 4 inches.
Caroline Criado Perez, a feminist activist, claimed that she developed repetitive strain injury from using her iPhone 6 which was ‘too big for her hand’. She said her injury went away as soon as she switched to an iPhone SE.
Just yesterday, she tweeted:
so to be clear: @Apple has once again failed to update the only phone it makes that fits the average woman’s handsize. weak applause all round from my arthritic hands. https://t.co/j0bhJU8l7l
— Caroline Criado Perez (@CCriadoPerez) September 13, 2018
She claimed that Apple is designing products only for men, without sparing a thought for the needs of its female customers.
anyway I guess I’d better upgrade now before they DISCONTINUE the only phone that fits the average women’s handsize. what the hell is wrong with you, @Apple? women. buy. smartphones. In fact, more women buy iPhones than men. DESIGN FOR OUR BODIES.
— Caroline Criado Perez (@CCriadoPerez) September 13, 2018
Zeynep Tufekci, professor at UNC School of Information and Library Science and writer at The New York Times, has also responded. This was what she tweeted:
“Welcome to the big screens” says Apple and women like me with small hands who need the most secure phone for safety reasons are stuck with something they can’t hold and constantly risk dropping. Company that designs $5 billion headquarters without a childcare center for the win. pic.twitter.com/Owzy51RsrH
— zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) September 13, 2018
Some have suggested that companies like Apple tend to design products with men, not women, in mind, and that this problem stems from the fact that Apple does not hire as many women at the top of the company as it does men.
As of right now, the smallest iPhones are the 4.7 inch iPhone 7 and 4.7 inch iPhone 8.