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[return to "I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)"]
1. rickde+qp1[view] [source] 2025-07-17 11:34:40
>>asimop+(OP)
The hard reality is that there is no PAYING market for such a device, because when it comes to the point-of-sale, most people still choose the normal-size device with better screen/battery/camera.

This is equivalent to something I called the "QWERTY paradox" more than a decade ago:

Back when the Smartphone market exploded, people disliked typing on a touchscreen and repeatedly stated that they want a device with a physical keyboard.

There was plenty of evidence, surveys, market studies, trend predictions, devices for these "Messaging-centric" use-cases were always part of this market-demand roster.

But whenever someone answered the call and built a Smartphone with QWERTY keyboard, the product failed commercially, simply because also to people claiming they want such a phone, at the point of sale they were less attractive than their slimmer, lighter, all-screen counterparts.

Every major vendor went through this cycle of learning that lesson, usually with an iteration like "it needs to be a premium high-spec device" --> (didn't sell) --> "ah, it should be mass-market" --> (also didn't sell).

You can find this journey for every vendor. Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola, Sony.

The same lessons were already learnt for small-screen devices: There was a "Mini" series of Samsung Galaxy, LG G-series, HTC One, Sony Xperia. It didn't sell, the numbers showed that it didn't attract additional customers, at best it only fragmented the existing customer-base.

Source: I work in that industry for a long time now

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2. throw1+EW1[view] [source] 2025-07-17 15:06:55
>>rickde+qp1
I've seen this pattern before, with laptops ("I want a laptop with" specific spec+feature combo not in the market) and cars ("I just want an electric car with physical controls and no subscription services or extra electronics") immediately coming to mind.

Which is a shame, because I can sympathize with most of these requests.

I want something like Kick-starter which operates the same way but isn't meant for funding the creator to get the upfront capital investment - just avoiding existing companies getting burned out of the "let's listen to a niche slice of our customers instead of appealing to the masses" mindset. Companies put up a weird product proposal and see if enough people will commit to buying it to at least break even.

Then, if there's enough of a commitment, those people get something they actually want. If there's not enough, then there's a specific reason that you can point to to explain why.

This is almost equivalent to the normal market model (people buy things they want, and niche products don't get made much), except with a more explicit feedback step, to help people realize that if they don't actually put their money where their mouth is, then things won't get made.

There's probably a better way to do this, but I'm not sure how. Ultimately I just want my non-electronic electric car.

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3. fkyour+v12[view] [source] 2025-07-17 15:36:22
>>throw1+EW1
Soon to be added to that list, the army of Redditors that insist the Slate truck is the ideal vehicle for them.
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4. PaulHo+pg2[view] [source] 2025-07-17 16:55:54
>>fkyour+v12
People report struggling to buy a Ford Maverick. Shadowy organizations can't stand it that Americans demand Kei Trucks and get legislation so they can't get them. Increasingly I see rural people driving compact cars... Maybe they'd like a big-ass truck but they can't afford one at $90k.
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5. fkyour+Gl2[view] [source] 2025-07-17 17:24:56
>>PaulHo+pg2
The Ford Maverick starts at like $2k more than the Slate truck.
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