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So, apparently the iPhone 5c isn't a 'flop'.

kmj2318

kmj2318

macrumors 68000
Aug 22, 2007
1,669
712
Naples, FL
People say its a flop because it only sells a fraction of how much the iPhone 5s sells, but don't you think they expected that? I think it's probably a success because it sells better than the 4s when the 5 was the flagship, which is really how it should be compared.
 
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Septembersrain

Cancelled
Dec 14, 2013
4,347
5,451
I think it sold into the niche it was supposed to fit into. Of course it wasn't the flagship but it's good enough to catch eyes of the people that weren't interested in that. It's probably also been an amazing first iPhone for some. It was my first and even though I've got a 5s too, I still very much love my 5c in blue.
 
E

easy-peasy

macrumors regular
Jan 31, 2014
155
0
virginblue4 said:
So, apparently the iPhone 5c isn't a 'flop'.
Click to expand...

Compared to the iPhone 5 it is.

As for sales? Apple knew what they were doing. Replace a premium product like the iPhone 5 with a tacky looking downgraded version like the 5c to drive sales of the new more expensive model: the 5s.

Just because a company sabotages a product but still sells a lot a good amount doesn't mean the product is an less of a flop (as a product) hence all the negative reviews.
 
virginblue4

virginblue4

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 15, 2012
2,017
682
United Kingdom
easy-peasy said:
Compared to the iPhone 5 it is.

As for sales? Apple knew what they were doing. Replace a premium product like the iPhone 5 with a tacky looking downgraded version like the 5c to drive sales of the new more expensive model: the 5s.

Just because a company sabotages a product but still sells a lot a good amount doesn't mean the product is an less of a flop (as a product) hence all the negative reviews.
Click to expand...

A phone that is outselling every other phone other than the 'upgraded' version cannot be considered a flop in any way. I highly doubt it was ever meant to sell more than the iPhone 5s, so it isn't even a flop compared to this.

Tacky is your opinion, and it is in no way downgraded compared to the iPhone 5. It is actually a very slight upgrade.
 
K

kevink2

macrumors 68000
Nov 2, 2008
1,842
294
With all the changes in LTE technology worldwide. Mainly frequency bands, etc, Apple probably felt that they needed to provide a "new" mid range model.

Last summer, for instance, if you considered buying an iPhone for Tmobile, the midrange model, the 4s, was only available in markets where TMobile had re farmed their 3G network to be compatible with it. Obviously adds confusion.

If the existing 5 was the midrange model, then it would only work for some companies world wide. if they had just upgraded the electronics, and not renamed it, you could confuse much of the market. Does any specific iPhone 5 work here? My early iPhone 5, for instance, is not a good TMobile phone because it was released before the upgraded mid year upgrade that supports TMobile's LTE and 4G.

As is, you can see articles and posts discussing the 5C as an upgrade from the 5. If Apple had released a 5C (cost) that had the same form factor as the 5, but with upgraded interiors, they would have been critiqued too about a lackluster upgrade from the 5 :)
 
H

Harmonious Zen

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2013
852
530
easy-peasy said:
Compared to the iPhone 5 it is.

As for sales? Apple knew what they were doing. Replace a premium product like the iPhone 5 with a tacky looking downgraded version like the 5c to drive sales of the new more expensive model: the 5s.

Just because a company sabotages a product but still sells a lot a good amount doesn't mean the product is an less of a flop (as a product) hence all the negative reviews.
Click to expand...

This, this, this. People who expected the 5c to match or exceed 5s sales were deluding themselves. Consumers aren't stupid. They understand the differences between the two models. They took a model that was a year old and freshened it up into a model that's among the top three sellers at every major carrier in the US.
 
K

kevink2

macrumors 68000
Nov 2, 2008
1,842
294
I actually bought the 5C. As a gift for my sister who had never had a smart phone before. Massive upgrade from a feature phone. For the price of the 16GB 5S, she got 32GB. She has TMobile, so the option of unlocking my 5, giving it to her, and buying myself the 5S wasn't a good option.
 
T

theromz

macrumors regular
Aug 22, 2013
116
0
virginblue4 said:
A phone that is outselling every other phone other than the 'upgraded' version cannot be considered a flop in any way. I highly doubt it was ever meant to sell more than the iPhone 5s, so it isn't even a flop compared to this.

Tacky is your opinion, and it is in no way downgraded compared to the iPhone 5. It is actually a very slight upgrade.
Click to expand...

The article just shows 3 carriers pay monthly sales, it is hardly exhaustive data. Also I think the only reason people call it a 'flop' is cause the iPhone 5C was expected to be the iPhone for everyone, and the 5S was expect too be the premium model. But it turned out the 5S sales completely over shadowed the 5C.

And I think anyone comparing it against other phone is looking for an excuse, the 5C isn't competing with another brands, it is competing with the 5S, everyone other company has 100x devices, its the reasons why Samsung will also sell more smartphones then Apple, they have huge scale and volume in devices. But they won't ever outsell the iPhone 5s with 1 device.
 
goobot

goobot

macrumors 603
Jun 26, 2009
6,490
4,377
long island NY
Is it selling more than the iPhone 5 would have if the 5C was never created? From what I've seen the answer is no. It's a flop because apple had to put time and money into something that isn't selling anymore than if they hadn't.


virginblue4 said:
A phone that is outselling every other phone other than the 'upgraded' version cannot be considered a flop in any way. I highly doubt it was ever meant to sell more than the iPhone 5s, so it isn't even a flop compared to this.

Tacky is your opinion, and it is in no way downgraded compared to the iPhone 5. It is actually a very slight upgrade.
Click to expand...

It isn't an upgrade or downgrade, it has a 5% larger battery and a very minimal front camera upgrade but it's thicker and heaver. It also doesn't have the external antenna that apple praised so much. (Yes it had issues in the 4 but the 4s fixed those issues.)
 
R

Retired Cat

macrumors 65816
Jun 12, 2013
1,210
380
easy-peasy said:
Compared to the iPhone 5 it is.

As for sales? Apple knew what they were doing. Replace a premium product like the iPhone 5 with a tacky looking downgraded version like the 5c to drive sales of the new more expensive model: the 5s.

Just because a company sabotages a product but still sells a lot a good amount doesn't mean the product is an less of a flop (as a product) hence all the negative reviews.
Click to expand...


I own and currently use a black slate iPhone 5. IMO the 5C is neither tacky nor downgraded in comparison.

The 5C's plastic case may be less expensive than machined aluminum, but it's just as solid. The 5C is not only nicer to hold than the 5, but also dent resistant. Less expensive does not always mean downgrade.

The 5C has the advantage of more LTE bands, slightly better FaceTime camera, and slightly larger battery.
 
W

Wiesenlooser

macrumors 6502a
Jul 9, 2010
984
1,540
It might not be sales wise but I still think its a terribly uninspired product. Combined with the incredibly high pricing it is one of the few Apple products I would feel bad buying.
 
cambookpro

cambookpro

macrumors 604
Feb 3, 2010
7,189
3,321
United Kingdom
I'm pretty sure it sold more compared to them keeping the iPhone 5 due to its 'newness'. It was a smart move to repackage old components in a new phone - it didn't exactly smash any records, but it is obviously selling quite well according to that article.

I see many more 5c's than I do 5s's. (I believe apostrophes are acceptable there due to ambiguity of plurals? /grammar) On my anecdotal evidence, the 5c is doing quite well.
 
T

theromz

macrumors regular
Aug 22, 2013
116
0
kmj2318 said:
There is no way you can believe this. :confused:
Click to expand...

Off course i do, Apple didn't make the 5c to try and get more sells then company X. They made it to have an iPhone with high margins that appeals to a bigger market. The iPhone brand as a whole off course competes with others, but I don't see the iPhone 5C being put against other brands phones.
 
7thson

7thson

macrumors 65816
May 13, 2012
1,360
1,474
Six Rivers, CA
The problem with that article from AppleInsider, is that Apple has already acknowledged during their last earnings call that they are selling fewer 5c's than they had projected to. I don't think this makes it a flop, neither does it theoretically selling fewer than the 5 if they had just kept the 5 in the mid tier. I think the 5c was conceived to visually differentiate the mid tier from the top tier. I believe Apples biggest misstep with the 5c is the color palette. This is by far the most common criticism I hear leveled at the 5c. Until I actually saw the 5c's in a store I was just, "meh, not to my taste, but I could probably live it." In reality, I felt disappointed at how washed out the colors really are. Everything else about the 5c I like, especially that they included a 32gb model.
 
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