Apple unveils smaller iPhone SE; Tim Cook defends privacy stance

Cupertino: Apple Inc. on Monday unveiled a smaller, cheaper iPhone aimed at emerging markets and possibly China, the world`s biggest buyer of smartphones, as the technology company looks to reverse a decline in worldwide sales of its most important product.

The new device, called the iPhone SE, has a 4-inch (10-cm) screen and represents Apple`s second bid for the crowded mid-tier market after an unsuccessful foray three years ago.

The more compact phone design comes after its expanded the size of the screens in its high-end iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus phones in 2014 to as large as 5.5 inches. That was broadly seen as an attempt to match rival Samsung Electronics <005930.KS> with its large-screen Galaxy phones.

Before the launch at Apple`s leafy Cupertino, California headquarters, Chief Executive Tim Cook defended the company`s refusal to comply with a U.S. court order to unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in a December attack in San Bernardino, California.

Apple has a responsibility to protect customers` data and privacy, Cook said, adding that Apple "will not shrink from that responsibility." His statement was greeted by applause from the audience.

The tech company`s dispute with the U.S. government has become a lightning rod for a broader debate on data privacy in the United States. The company is set to square off against the U.S. government at a court hearing on Tuesday, likely the first round in a long legal fight to avoid being forced to decrypt the iPhone.