ouch, this could be the end for "C" version imo.
but why would China Mobile want to renegotiate, just launch the 5S forget about 5C
Perhaps because the contract requires them to take a minimum number of 5cs?
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Weak iPhone 5c Demand May Be Slowing China Mobile iPhone Deal
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Perhaps because the contract requires them to take a minimum number of 5cs?
May I add, Apple will sell Mac Pros very well, and other Macs/phones/iPods will see fluctuating demands over time.
Also, iOS 8 will be out, basing on a survey I proposed to myself.
seen 3 iPhone 5C blue + green + white
seen 2 iPhone 5S silver + gold
= ones own experience means nothing
Same here. When I'm in the UK I pay for my Starbucks with my iPhone and the barista got positively excited when she saw my iPhone 5 in a turquoise case, thinking it was the 5C and said she'd never seen one.
I like the 5C but for a little bit more I also would go for the 5S.
People were expecting a 'cheap' iPhone and instead Apple launched a relatively high-spec slightly less expensive model. Who can say what will happen in the future but if the 5C remains unchanged (in terms of component specs) in the product line-up over the next couple of years then I guess it could 'sink' to the price level that some were hoping for in the first place.
So maybe Apple are playing the long game?
The unfortunate thing is that everyone in Shanghai wants the tuhaojin (new money gold) version. I've seen plenty of 5S around, but could count no more than maybe a dozen 5C so far when I cast my eye around on the metro). Not to stereotype, but the 5C users seemed to either be students or migrant workers, in all cases younger people.
I'm sure CM want to market the 5C at a considerably lower price point than Apple want to. Which is naturally what Walmart and others are trying to do. Bt Apple' has been trying to push the 5C really hard, I've seen plenty of billboard ads for it around the city.
Shanghai is a bit of an oddity though since it attracts probably the most affluent of Chinese society. As an anecdotal reference, I see more luxury sports cars (Lambos, Ferraris etc.) cruising around the city centre in the last year than I have my entire life in the UK.
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They should use the iPhone 5c to replace the iPod touch line up with it but bring the cost down to that of what the touches are now and that would give users the option of activating the phone or just using it as an ipod touch.
I think it's a very good thing that they sell more 5s. I would be worried if the 5c was selling better. And why does it matter look at the price of the two phones and tell me witch one is more expensive. But I would like to say that I have seen about as many 5s as 5c. For some reason I can't understand it's usually a white 5c not a color.
Oh boy, what a tough predicament to have when demand for your top of the line premium priced model far exceeds demand for the midrange model
Only for Apple could this be spun into negative speculation. Other phone makers have to practically give their phones away, and yet with Apple people want the premium top of the line, and in vast numbers.
I think just about anyone would kill to get in that "predicament"
I think that also underscores just what the Apple brand means. It means premium. This is why Apple doesn't offer dirt cheap phones. Not only just because it damages the allure and prestige of the Apple brand, but also because the customer base isn't demanding anything less than the premium. Lowering price doesn't necessarily change that, it could have a very negative effect on the brand. Lamborghini no longer has a mystique and prestige as soon as they start selling $30k sedan.
There are two ways to read this. One is:
"Oh, it's great for Apple! Higher-priced products are moving faster! Clearly people want Apple to raise their prices, not lower them"
The other is:
"Oh, man! Apple's been telling us for years that they're working on cracking the prepaid market, but their first try at a cheaper-not-older iPhone has flopped!"
Apple should have been lowering their margins to go for market-share with the 5C. They didn't. They should have been aiming at the prepaid market, where most of the world like to live, but they didn't do that either.
Instead, Apple made a totally nonsense product. The 5C had nothing that would make you think it was anything but inferior to the 5S, and the price difference was not enough to sway people.
The cost of entry went down (kind of), but by such an insignificant amount that it didn't make a difference. The 5C was a failure of product planning and design, pure and simple. That's very unusual for Apple - typically their products are planned in meticulous detail and with a laser focus on who exactly they're selling to.
Who are they selling the 5C to? Beats me. Apparently hardly anybody.
So somebody wants the stock to drop today.
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Not sure how you can read it the second way as I don't recall Apple making repeated announcements that it was trying to crack the prepaid market. I also have not seen any actual evidence the 5C is not selling as well as Apple wanted.
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Considering most people have cases, how would you really know?
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Not sure how you can read it the second way as I don't recall Apple making repeated announcements that it was trying to crack the prepaid market. I also have not seen any actual evidence the 5C is not selling as well as Apple wanted.
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Considering most people have cases, how would you really know?
In Brazil, certainly I'm seeing a lot of 5Cs around. It's a bit difficult to distinguish between iPhones 5 and 5S, but I bet that, at least in Brazil, 5C is clearly selling more than 5S.
Thank you for your insight. If we knew what the deal up was until it fell apart, only then we would have a better understand of what's going on. But I can't deny that the 5s is definitely much more desirable.
Well... I just bought a rMBP and guess what? I think my 2009 unibody white macbook seems more robust sometimes. One thing is the keyboard which looks more fragile on the rMBP. The other is the metal case: sometimes when raising the rMBP with just one hand I feel like if I was deforming the bottom cover.
What I want to say is: plastic case is not necessary less robust than metal case. Of course plastic is cheaper, but if it's made the right way it can break less than metal bodies. This said, I'd buy a white iPhone 5C if I needed a new smartphone.
Likely because Apple has made them sign a deal for a certain number of devices and they don't want to get stuck with a bunch of 5C models they can't sell. The 5C could be discontinued when iPhone 6 hits and they don't want to get stuck with stock of it especially when coming into the mix mid cycle
Exactly. The irony behind all this is that the reason the 5c even exists is due to China. Now they don't want them. Truth is, China has Apple by the balls. They might as well give in now or forget about China, which Apple has been pulling out all stops to court. Apple knows it's future isn't so bright without access to the Chinese market.
But, but, but I heard from the apple fanboi's that the 5c was an amazing success?
Who to believe?
/ s
Who to believe?
/ s
That's probably it. And China Mobile doesn't want to become Apple's warehouse for unsold 5c's, nor do they want to be the ones that have to drastically discount them to get them to actually sell. I say wise move by CM. If I were them, I would just but the 5S only. CM has the upper hand here as they hold Apple's future in their hand.
Someone not in the know surmises something, and then a bunch of people on this forum use that information to criticise Apple - these threads are truly great entertainment.
The issue is the 5s is seen as premium device over the plastic 5c.
The price also so close that most people see no reason to buy the "cheaper" one. And people here usually pay full price for phones. Only recently has it become possible to pay over time (installment plans).
Anyways I just got my 4G LTE SIM card from China Mobile.
Works great and their 4G is pretty fast. Coverage however is still pretty spotty; and without a proper carrier bundle from Apple, the iPhone still thinks the SIM isn't LTE capable and therefore doesn't automatically connect to it; I have to manually search and select LTE.
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As for people seeing the iPhone 5s... it's still pretty difficult to tell the difference between an iPhone 5s and an iPhone 5 especially when a lot people use cases.
The price also so close that most people see no reason to buy the "cheaper" one. And people here usually pay full price for phones. Only recently has it become possible to pay over time (installment plans).
Anyways I just got my 4G LTE SIM card from China Mobile.
Works great and their 4G is pretty fast. Coverage however is still pretty spotty; and without a proper carrier bundle from Apple, the iPhone still thinks the SIM isn't LTE capable and therefore doesn't automatically connect to it; I have to manually search and select LTE.
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As for people seeing the iPhone 5s... it's still pretty difficult to tell the difference between an iPhone 5s and an iPhone 5 especially when a lot people use cases.
The 5c is here to stay. I don't think a new "C" model will be introduced yearly, but the 5c will be moved to free come September and the 5s will be $99 and the 6 will be the flagship. Then with the 6s we will get a new 6c.
I don't understand people's hatred and concerns toward the 5c. It's doing it's job well. When I asked about them at my local Apple store they told me they are selling just as well as the 5s after the initial launch. The device won't be discontinued, but it will love down the lineup.
Nice job spreading around the FUD Ming (and Mac Rumors).
China Mobile & Apple Bring iPhone to China Mobiles 4G & 3G Networks on January 17, 2014
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So basically the 5C haters are just plastic snobs who thumb their nose at it because it's not metal. Even though both the 3G and 3GS under Steve Jobs were plastic. I guess those weren't premium phones either then?
China Mobile & Apple Bring iPhone to China Mobiles 4G & 3G Networks on January 17, 2014
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So basically the 5C haters are just plastic snobs who thumb their nose at it because it's not metal. Even though both the 3G and 3GS under Steve Jobs were plastic. I guess those weren't premium phones either then?
The deal is now done. Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities got it wrong. If there was any re-negotiation of the Apple-China Mobile deal the deferral of its finalization was virtually nonexistent. Time will tell if Kuo's speculation regarding Apple's shipment numbers is correct.