The new iPhone 16th shocked Internet users by its characteristics and its price. But other questions emerge. An American journalist was able to ask Apple what its name meant.
Apple is a company loaded with mysteries and icons. Since the death of its founder, Steve Jobs, the company has regularly talked about it in good or bad concerning its new products. The latest iPhone, the iPhone 16th, has notably sparked very strong discussions on social networks and within the Apple community. Deemed too expensive for some, useless for others, the iPhone 16th seems to animate many debates on the web as to its features and its price placement.
But among the many questions raised by the arrival of this brand new iPhone, there is one that was quick to arrive to the ears of Apple leaders themselves: the meaning of the name “iPhone 16th”. If it remains difficult to find a highly placed person at Apple to ask the question, some journalists were able to do it shortly after the official announcement of the smartphone. But we warn you: the latter have received a fairly disappointing response.
Historically, the cheapest iPhone offered by Apple was “the iPhone SE”. With four different generations, the latter therefore seems to have been replaced this year by the iPhone 16th. At the time already, several people wondered about the meaning of the word “iPhone SE”. If some users specified that it meant “super exhaustive” to approach its cost, “second edition” to mark the fact that it was a new edition, it was not in reality. The iPhone was simply held its name to “Special Edition” to properly indicate that it was an iPhone on the sidelines of the main series.
Regarding the iPhone 16th, several people thought it was an acronym to say “Economic”. It is not in reality. Journalist John Gruber was able to approach several executives at Apple to ask them the question and the answer obtained is confusing simplicity: “We asked if the E signified something in particular to an Apple representative who answered us no. He does not mean anything (…) Do not waste your time trying to find a logic for that.”
The journalist also specifies that the name “iPhone 16th” can still find some explanation. Apple can find this name simply cool and enough in tune with the times to please potential buyers. One thing is certain, the iPhone 16th is not the new iPhone SE and is rather overlooked alongside the iPhone 16 range released in September 2024 rather than a special and unique iPhone.