Many Apple followers were intrigued about the recent Apple Store maintenance, in which the company teased about some surprises once the site comes back. It was speculated that one of these big surprises would be the arrival of the iPhone SE 2, along with the other rumored devices such as the iPad Pro 2.

However, the Apple Store featured storage upgrade of iPhone SE instead, and not a major refresh that many people have been expecting. The iPhone SE now has an increased storage capacity with the new 32GB and 128GB variants. Likewise, the online store also showcased the new red variant of the iPhone 7.

The recent iPhone SE storage bump from last year's 16GB and 64GB does not mean that the handset will increase in price. In fact, the prices are still the same as the original launch prices, with $399 and $499 respectively for the 32GB and 128GB variants. Other than that, the iPhone SE is pretty much the same. It is still sporting the size and design similar to the iPhone 5S, while its internal specs is reminiscent of the iPhone 6S hardware. From this, it is now questioned if there will be a need for Apple to release the iPhone SE 2 at all.

Many tech enthusiasts have taken a liking to the iPhone SE due to its handiness, not to mention its price that is more affordable than the other iPhone products in the market today. Even though it is relatively cheaper, the iPhone SE is still powerful with its A9 chipset, plus a high-quality camera with 12MP lens.

It is thought that Apple would further improve these features by introducing the iPhone SE's successor, but according to the latest speculations, the Cupertino-based tech company is thinking about its possible effect to the iPhone 7 sales.

As reported by MacWorld, KGI Securities tech analyst Ming Chi Kuo predicted that the iPhone SE 2, if there will be one, is not going to appear this year. Kuo stated that Apple does not want the new iPhone SE targeting the sales of iPhone 7, which was first released in September 2016. People may ought to buy the iPhone SE as an alternative to the flagship handset, taking note of its lowered price and powerful specs.

However, there is still hope that the iPhone SE 2 will still become a reality, even as Apple wants to avoid competition among its products. The original iPhone SE was released almost six months after the unveiling of the iPhone 6S, and there were no noted effects on the latter's sales.

There is also enough time for the iPhone 7 to rake in more profit before the second generation SE is released. The same principle can be said about the upcoming iPhone 8, which might be pitted against the iPhone SE 2 upon its release later this year.