9 of Top 10 U.S. Smartphone Activations on Christmas Day 2020 Were iPhones

[vipergts2207]

I didn't realize the 44 mm Apple Watch weighs twice as much as the 40 mm model.

What does weight have to do with it? You’re grasping at straws now.

 

[4jasontv]

What does weight have to do with it? You’re grasping at straws now.

Everything. The reason people want a smaller phone is because they want a device that is easier to use. Seriously, stop trolling. People are not demanding heavier phones. You keep acting like the only difference between the phones is screen size. It's not and that's what makes the mini better than the 12. If the 12 outsells the mini it's because the mini had to 1. compete with the pro, 2. was confusingly priced, and 3. poorly marketed by Apple as the mid tier option above the 12.

Oh, and 4. The 12 was free (with contract) longer and via more carriers so people likely saw the higher MSRP mistakenly thought it was a better unit and then got excited they were getting a deal.

 

[vipergts2207]

Everything. The reason people want a smaller phone is because they want a device that is easier to use. Seriously, stop trolling. People are not demanding heavier phones. You keep acting like the only difference between the phones is screen size. It's not and that's what makes the mini better than the 12. If the 12 outsells the mini it's because the mini had to 1. compete with the pro, 2. was confusingly priced, and 3. poorly marketed by Apple as the mid tier option above the 12.

Nobody’s trolling here dude. You’re just all over the map. I thought we were talking about your proposition that consumers for some reason expect smaller devices to be more expensive. Now you’re going off on some tangents unrelated to that.

The fact is that every consumer electronics device I can think of is more expensive for the larger version of the same device. Phones, computers, tablets, watches, TVs, etc. In no scenario is the smaller version the cheaper one. But yet somehow consumers are suddenly all confused with the iPhone 12 mini being cheaper than the 12? Not buying it in the least.

 

[Ry L]

I doubt it’s selling “poorly,” but I’ve repeatedly said people want larger screens, not smaller.

For me, coming from a iPhone 7, it was a dream come true. Smaller body, larger screen.

 

[4jasontv]

Nobody’s trolling here dude. You’re just all over the map. I thought we were talking about your proposition that consumers for some reason expect smaller devices to be more expensive. Now you’re going off on some tangents unrelated to that.

The fact is that every consumer electronics device I can think of is more expensive for the larger version of the same device. Phones, computers, tablets, watches, TVs, etc. In no scenario is the smaller version the cheaper one. But yet somehow consumers are suddenly all confused with the iPhone 12 mini being cheaper than the 12? Not buying it in the least.

I am sorry if confusion came from how we define small. I think how most people perceive 'small' depends upon the device. For TV's it means thinner, for watches it means face size. So yeah, no one is going to think the 65" TV is cheaper than the 55" one, but they will expect the TV with no gap between the wall and TV to cost more than the one that sticks out 5 inches. With more mobile centric devices it's a combination of weight and screen size. Compared to the other devices you listed weight matters the most on phones because people don't expect tablets and laptops to be light enough to be held with one arm for 2 hours. You can move the screen closer to your face to make the display appear bigger but you can't remove half the battery to reduce wrist strain.

To me that's the biggest failing with tablets. It's not light enough to read for hours unless you make the screen so small it's not able to display the page as the author intended.

 

[currentinterest]

One of the mini’s functions is to provide a new model phone at the anchor price of $699. If it drives customers to the $799 phone, it serves its purpose along with providing a smaller option for those who want one. Both my wife and son love their minis. My other son and I use the 12 pro, but from time-to-time we have mini envy when we pick one up. Neither wife or son have found the battery to be an issue.

 

[vipergts2207]

I am sorry if confusion came from how we define small. I think how most people perceive 'small' depends upon the device. For TV's it means thinner, for watches it means face size. So yeah, no one is going to think the 65" TV is cheaper than the 55" one, but they will expect the TV with no gap between the wall and TV to cost more than the one that sticks out 5 inches. With more mobile centric devices it's a combination of weight and screen size. Compared to the other devices you listed weight matters the most on phones because people don't expect tablets and laptops to be light enough to be held with one arm for 2 hours. You can move the screen closer to your face to make the display appear bigger but you can't remove half the battery to reduce wrist strain.

To me that's the biggest failing with tablets. It's not light enough to read for hours unless you make the screen so small it's not able to display the page as the author intended.

Your TV example is not an apples to apples comparison. In that example consumers would see that one TV is clearly inferior to the other and not a different sized version of the same model. How does that scenario apply to the 12 and 12 mini? They both appear to be the same aside from screen size, which again, consumers associate smaller screens with cheaper prices.

 

[Baymowe335]

Oh, are you the spokesman for 'people'?

Some people, believe it or not, have smaller hands than others, and the largest phones available now are already way too large for such people.

Other people are also female, and female clothing, believe it or not, has tiny pockets compared to male clothing, which means any big phone wont fit in most female pockets. A smaller phone can largely solve this

To you it might seem obvious that a larger screen is better, but don't act like that's what 'people' want. In fact, the smaller variant of iphone models has sold better basically ever single year since they had 2 different sizes. Now there are 3, and it looks like the middle size will be most popular. So I'd say the 'people' want a medium sized phone, if anything.

I'm the spokesperson for the reality of Apple's strategy and the strategy of the smartphone market in general.

People don't want small phones, in general. There are a few, but it's a niche market overall.

 

[4jasontv]

Your TV example is not an apples to apples comparison. In that example consumers would see that one TV is clearly inferior to the other and not a different sized version of the same model. How does that scenario apply to the 12 and 12 mini? They both appear to be the same aside from screen size, which again, consumers associate smaller screens with cheaper prices.

But the 12 and 12 mini are not the same device but smaller. The mini also weighs a lot less than the 12 which is the equivalent to being closer to the wall for its product category. The weight has a meaningful impact on the experience of the product. The mini weighs a lot less. It's a huge part of the experience.

 

[4jasontv]

Oh, are you the spokesman for 'people'?

Some people, believe it or not, have smaller hands than others, and the largest phones available now are already way too large for such people.

Other people are also female, and female clothing, believe it or not, has tiny pockets compared to male clothing, which means any big phone wont fit in most female pockets. A smaller phone can largely solve this

To you it might seem obvious that a larger screen is better, but don't act like that's what 'people' want. In fact, the smaller variant of iphone models has sold better basically ever single year since they had 2 different sizes. Now there are 3, and it looks like the middle size will be most popular. So I'd say the 'people' want a medium sized phone, if anything.

I feel like you have a nugget of wisdom in there but I am distracted by this sense that you are suggesting women aren't considered people. I am hoping it's a language barrier or you got distracted while writing your response and it just came out bad.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Who here was shocked by the stats? I certainly wasn't. The iPhone is king in many ways and I hope it stays that way.

 

[MacBH928]

I don't believe these numbers, how would they know which phones were activated? The numbers are sketchy.
iPhone 11 sold more than iPhone 12? LG K30 is the top selling android device? You would think more Samsung or Google Pixel would be there.

But I also long believed that the very loud, often smug, people screaming on message boards such as this about the obvious and huge market for small phones were wrong. Many people use their phone as their sole computer these days. In those cases, a larger screen increases usability.

Indeed, and its bothering me. People are using their phone as their sole digital device and at that point it makes more sense to have a larger screen.

I use it more like a PDA. Sure a bigger screen would be better for reading but then it will be hard to operate using one hand. Is there a place between smartphone and tablet? People seem to think so.

 

[gimarbazat]

A new report by Flurry Analytics states that nine of the top ten smartphones activated on Christmas Day 2020 in the United States were iPhones.

Christmas Day in the United States is the single greatest day for new smartphone activations, so it represents a unique opportunity to analyse consumer preferences.

The iPhone 11 was the most activated device on Christmas Day, with activations five percent higher than the trailing average of the period between December 18 and December 24. This is the second consecutive year that the iPhone 11 has taken the top spot, followed by the iPhone XR. The leading premium device was the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which has continued to see "strong and long-lasting demand."

This ranking is in line with normal trends, as Apple's newer and higher-end devices generally only surge around launch due to early adopters. The iPhone 12 has made gains as users gradually replace their existing devices in the months after launch. Some smartphones, such as the iPhone XR, were not more popular than the trailing average for that device, meaning that it was not necessarily a popular gift for Christmas, but rather just a popular smartphone.

The only non-Apple device to reach the top 10 was LG's budget K30 smartphone. Overall, budget devices dominated the top ten, with the iPhone SE and LG K30 seeing 34 percent and 181 percent surges respectively. Flurry believes that the success of past years' models, such as the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR, indicates that American consumers were more price-sensitive this holiday season.

One notable exception from the top ten is the iPhone 12 mini, which has seemingly failed to catch consumers' attention as much as other devices, perhaps due to its discount of only $100 compared to the larger iPhone 12.

This year, smartphone activations were down 23 percent year-on-year. Flurry speculates that this may be due to financial hardships, more limited family gatherings, or more spread out gift-giving this year.

Flurry Analytics uses data from over one million mobile applications, providing insights from two billion mobile devices per month, and it will soon report on the full month of December to give a fuller picture of smartphone activations.

Article Link: 9 of Top 10 U.S. Smartphone Activations on Christmas Day 2020 Were iPhones

It’s not 9 out of 10!

 

[2010mini]

Wait.... I thought Apple was doomed? At least this is what I read here all the time.

 

[vipergts2207]

But the 12 and 12 mini are not the same device but smaller. The mini also weighs a lot less than the 12 which is the equivalent to being closer to the wall for its product category. The weight has a meaningful impact on the experience of the product. The mini weighs a lot less. It's a huge part of the experience.

The weight is just inherent to the size of the device dude. Did you expect Apple to defy physics or something? They’re still the same device in different sizes, which would quite obviously include a difference in weight. Again, we’re back to tangentials now.

 

[Pixel26]

"This year, smartphone activations were down 23 percent year-on-year. Flurry speculates that this may be due to financial hardships, more limited family gatherings, or more spread out gift-giving this year." - or maybe due to the pandemic?

 

[4jasontv]

The weight is just inherent to the size of the device dude. Did you expect Apple to defy physics or something? They’re still the same device in different sizes, which would quite obviously include a difference in weight. Again, we’re back to tangentials now.

I would expect the 12 to be lighter than it is considering it's 'just a mini' in a larger shell. Instead they made it much heavier.

 

[vipergts2207]

I would expect the 12 to be lighter than it is considering it's 'just a mini' in a larger shell. Instead they made it much heavier.

See this is further evidence of you just laying out broad, unfounded conjectures. The 12 is actually lighter than you should expect. The 12 is 24.2% larger volumetrically than the mini. However it’s only 22.5% heavier than the mini. The 12 is actually less dense than the mini, not more.

 

[Wanted797]

It's a pity iPhone 12 mini is selling so poorly...

Rene Richie did a video on the mini and it makes sense for it to do poorly now.

The mini isn’t the phone more people buying the ‘newest’ iPhone will go for. It’s the phone aimed at people who upgrade when they need to.

I think we’ll see it rise in popularity when it is an older device. Or if they do a mini style SE.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Everything. The reason people want a smaller phone is because they want a device that is easier to use. Seriously, stop trolling. People are not demanding heavier phones. You keep acting like the only difference between the phones is screen size. It's not and that's what makes the mini better than the 12. If the 12 outsells the mini it's because the mini had to 1. compete with the pro, 2. was confusingly priced, and 3. poorly marketed by Apple as the mid tier option above the 12.

Oh, and 4. The 12 was free (with contract) longer and via more carriers so people likely saw the higher MSRP mistakenly thought it was a better unit and then got excited they were getting a deal.

This makes no sense. In no way is the Mini “better” than the 12. If you’re simply comparing specs the 12 would be “better” because it has a larger screen. The 12 also has a larger battery and is rated higher for battery life.

Now the Mini might be “better” for some people depending on how they use their phone or their preferences, but it is actually the inferior device based on specs alone. For that reason people expect the price of the smaller device to be less.

 

[davie18]

I'm the spokesperson for the reality of Apple's strategy and the strategy of the smartphone market in general.

People don't want small phones, in general. There are a few, but it's a niche market overall.

They don’t want big ones either, do they? If they did then why has the biggest iPhone NEVER been the highest selling one since they started doing large phones ?

The medium sized one is the main market then the large and small are both smaller

 

[davie18]

I feel like you have a nugget of wisdom in there but I am distracted by this sense that you are suggesting women aren't considered people. I am hoping it's a language barrier or you got distracted while writing your response and it just came out bad.

Wow 😂 you’re really searching hard to get offended, aren’t you? Of course I’m not suggesting women aren’t people wtf

 

[falainber]

Wait.... I thought Apple was doomed? At least this is what I read here all the time.

Did you notice that new phone activations actually fell YoY? Provided data does not specify the sales for other phone models but Apple products being a prototypical XMas gift is not a new thing. I am pretty sure they dominated XMas sales last year too so it's conceivable that reported 23% drop was caused in large part by drop in iPhone sales.

 

[femike]

Regarding the iPhone 12 Mini... it seems some technical drawbacks compared to the other phones. Apple should of made the mini battery a little thicker. It can take it as its a smaller phone.
I also think that the iPhone SE was chosen over the iPhone 12 Mini in many cases. So maybe if the iPhone SE didn't exist the mini sales would of been larger. And I for one, and I'm sure many other silent people, prefer bezels and a home button.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I doubt it’s selling “poorly,” but I’ve repeatedly said people want larger screens, not smaller.

You could be right, I certainly want a larger screen MacBook Air than 13", and certainly don't need any of the Pro features of a MBP that make a 16" laptop around twice the price of a MBA. Even the 13" MBP has lower spec base features than the 16" MBP. It's infuriating when all I want is pretty much base MBA features, but with a 16", or even larger (18" would be sweeeeeet), screen. I'm not a 100lbs weakling, I can easily carry the heaviest laptop on the market, but I do need the portability of a laptop, just with base specs and a big screen.