Apple Reportedly Reassigned Some Marketing Staff to Work on Bolstering Sales of iPhone XS and iPhone XR

[nandihno]

i wish we had a product person in charge..
maybe in an alternate universe Johny Ive is the CEO and Apple is not a $1T monster, but a fun innovative company that makes money but cares about its customers. Unlike mr Cool who ..yes he is gay and all but he is very very greedy, just wish someone threw him a pie like ppl did to Bill Gates back in the day.
I came from android but have had only macs at home. and recently decided to get the XS Max and wow...device is very nice but at $2K i wont be making that mistake ever again of buying in to such expensive device.
Android has its flaws but i came to realise also apple. under tim cook Apple is just another Tech company.
Under Steve J, apple was a way of life.

 

[john123]

Xs and the XS Max are way overpriced.

Stop saying this. It’s mathematically untrue.

They are expensive, yes. Overpriced? Not relative to their component cost and Apple’s mobile lineup for the last decade.

 

[macfacts]

So where are the ads that would make people want the xs / xr? Is the marketing team still working on it?

 

[PortoMavericks]

I don’t think the iPhone XR is a bad product by any means - indeed it has a lot going for it, including some things* over the XS/Max. I do think it has a bit of an image problem though - Apple are trying to sell their ‘second option’ at what was flagship pricing until recently. In this way I think they might have had more success with the iPhone X at $899 than the XR at $749. At the end of the day though, what do I know, they obviously had the consumer survey data in front of them and this is obviously what it told them would be the most successful path to take...

*personal preference dependent

It was just the case of bet big, win big.

I mean, they thought it was worth the risk to use a cheap LCD panel and getting a huge margin out of Xr Vs. "It's not worth the risk of getting a bad image, so **** it and put a Full HD LCD on it!".

The camera is another topic that's worth to discuss. They could have used the iPhone 8 Plus dual cameras that's certainly cheaper than the new one...

 

[LovingTeddy]

They're not android features, they're features that were developed by other chipset manufacturers. Android fanboys just like to pretend that they invented them all, but claim apple users do this.

I am talking about features such as the notch, which android users ridiculed extensively, yet every second android phone has now.

[doublepost=1543973459][/doublepost]

Xr is a great phone and at ~$699 USD, it would sell well globally. $749 is not bad but $699 would have made it a killer deal. Xs and the XS Max are way overpriced.

I still hate notch. I returned my iPhone XR because of FaceID never worked reliably and notch annoyed me very much.

My daily driver Huawei P20 which has notch. But it has software features which hide the notch. Which is nice. Apple never thought that...

It is funny how Apple fan defends Apple to the teeth. Apple just keep copying others, just a copycat

 

[smorrissey]

I still hate notch. I returned my iPhone XR because of FaceID never worked reliably and notch annoyed me very much.

My daily driver Huawei P20 which has notch. But it has software features which hide the notch. Which is nice. Apple never thought that...

It is funny how Apple fan defends Apple to the teeth. Apple just keep copying others, just a copycat

Not an Apple fan boy here but everybody copied the iphone first....

BTW nice feature:

 

[Abs_p]

I still hate notch. I returned my iPhone XR because of FaceID never worked reliably and notch annoyed me very much.

My daily driver Huawei P20 which has notch. But it has software features which hide the notch. Which is nice. Apple never thought that...

It is funny how Apple fan defends Apple to the teeth. Apple just keep copying others, just a copycat

lol. Who cares about the notch. FaceID has worked more or less perfectly for me. People see what they want to see.

 

[Roger67]

Apple doesn’t operate on market share. It captures 80% of the profits (or thereabouts)in the mobile phone sector.

Google makes out on market share because it gets paid by the unit for android.

You're telling those who buy Apple products they are suckers.

 

[H2SO4]

Regardless of what anyone says, Steven Jobs did work at Apple. He obviously affected something. Yes, he did pick Tim Cook at the time to be CEO; then again, he also picked Scott Forstall to run iOS. To say Apple still has the same magic as it with Steve, is to say Steve didn't do anything. Which we know is false.

Apple was always expensive but justified. Now, they're increasing prices by 20% and offering less.

The person running Apple's ship isn't a product-guy. I think it shows with this insane iPhone lineup, MacBook line-up etc., iMac's with 5400 RPM HDDs.

Apple is about experience. Well, they used to be about it.

Absolutely spot on. Back then it was possible for Apple to mask shortcomings more easily.
They could use sub standard hardware and get away with it by using the OS to manage resources more effectively. I believe this is getting harder for them to do.
They know that a computer probably runs at X temperature so they build it to run at that temp and add just a little headroom to deal with occasional peaks but nothing more. Thing is a combination of only just good enough components, bad programming and more demanding software is exposing that choice and we're now seeing symptoms like huge throttling, under powering, (batteries for example), and specs of dust becoming show stoppers.
[doublepost=1543978077][/doublepost]

Apple doesn’t operate on market share. It captures 80% of the profits (or thereabouts)in the mobile phone sector.

Google makes out on market share because it gets paid by the unit for android.

Semantics. The product of A & B is C, (10 x 2 = 20)
Apple prioritise A to get to C and Google do it the other way round. They both need X number of customers, ie a certain level of market share. Stop talking rubbish.

 

[dilbert99]

More fake news.

All news about Apple sales are rumours because Apple don't disclose the sales figures.
Doesn't make it fake, just peoples insights.
That would be like saying everything that Ming Chi Kuo says is fake news.

Is this behind the share price drop yesterday...

 

[H2SO4]

Phil said in 2013, “Can’t innovate anymore, my ass!”

He was 90% wrong, all we’ve gotten that’s magical are Airpods, mostly everything else is just catchup. Time for Apple to start taking risks.

Yeah I think so too. They have enough money to be able to take the odd risk and even if it doesn't pay off, not only will they easily survive but they will learn more.

 

[mprime_17]

 

[dilbert99]

Apple's stock price has plunged nearly 17 percent since November 1.

And nearly 24% since October 3.
[doublepost=1543978533][/doublepost]

Source: 9to5Mac

Found this interesting too. Much more blunt, aggressive taglines. The price increases obviously don't help, but people just don't update their phones as often any more. It's getting harder and harder to sell people something which is only marginally better than what they have.

They should have had a * next to Studio-Quality photos (*When taken in a studio using Studio-Quality equipment, lighting, backdrops etc)

Fastest performance compared to what?
All Screen design* - (* except for the bezels compared to XS and that notch at the top. My android fans at work came up with the most excellent excuse I could use for the notch on my XR - its a frigging finger holder, you hold the phone up using the notch - genius.)
[doublepost=1543978805][/doublepost]

Not an Apple fan boy here but everybody copied the iphone first....

BTW nice feature:

There are phones out there with no notch now. I guess Apple will now be copying them now?

I don't like talk of copying much, that is how the world works, the human race builds upon the greatness of those that came before.

 

[Baymowe335]

All news about Apple sales are rumours because Apple don't disclose the sales figures.
Doesn't make it fake, just peoples insights.
That would be like saying everything that Ming Chi Kuo says is fake news.

Is this behind the share price drop yesterday...

The market is getting crushed.

AMZN down 6% today.

This isn’t insight. It’s based on what literally sounds like a single,conversation from a single person who may or may not know anything. Any weakness in iPhone sales has been factored in with the nearly $60 drop in share price or $300B in market cap.

The story is now becoming the overall market is now a bear market.
[doublepost=1543979273][/doublepost]

An Xr for $699 would kill it.

I have the Xs Max and and kicking myself and wish I had purchased the Xr, at $300 less. There is nowhere near $300 of value in the XS max over the Xr.

You think a $50 discount would put all these haters and nonsense stories to rest?

The Xr is likely doing just fine and Apple will report good numbers later next month. Until then, useless trying to project Apple sales. They are always better than these articles would indicate.

 

[jscooper22]

Until you make something better -- seriously B E T T E R -- the only way to get people to buy more phones is to make them cheaper.

 

[dilbert99]

Stop saying this. It’s mathematically untrue.

They are expensive, yes. Overpriced? Not relative to their component cost and Apple’s mobile lineup for the last decade.

If you say that something is overpriced, you mean that you think it costs much more than it should.

- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/overpriced

Overpriced isn't necessarily a Maths problem but more of an English one in relation to your statement.
The latest new phones from Apple are overpriced because they cost more than a lot of people are willing to pay.
This has caused Apple to stop reporting unit sales. It has also caused them to cut production or not expand production.
We will have to wait and see if Apple prices for phones come down next year.
Didn't they say the price of the XR has just gone down in Japan?

I bought the XR, it is still way overpriced. I think most Apple gear is over priced, thats why I haven't bought much of it over the last few years. My last iPhone was the 6 which was bought 4 years ago.

My next purchase will be an new iPad for use at school because the 4 iPads in this house are not good enough to be used in school. Who would have thought than an iPad air was not good enough for school. I guess Apple gear doesn't age as well as people say.
[doublepost=1543979529][/doublepost]

The market is getting crushed.

AMZN down 6% today.

This isn’t insight. It’s based on what literally sounds like a single,conversation from a single person who may or may not know anything. Any weakness in iPhone sales has been factored in with the nearly $60 drop in share price or $300B in market cap.

The story is now becoming the overall market is now a bear market.

How much do you think Apple shares will keep going down before they recover, and how long do you think it will take for the shares to go back up to Oct 3 values?

 

[Baymowe335]

i wish we had a product person in charge..
maybe in an alternate universe Johny Ive is the CEO and Apple is not a $1T monster, but a fun innovative company that makes money but cares about its customers. Unlike mr Cool who ..yes he is gay and all but he is very very greedy, just wish someone threw him a pie like ppl did to Bill Gates back in the day.
I came from android but have had only macs at home. and recently decided to get the XS Max and wow...device is very nice but at $2K i wont be making that mistake ever again of buying in to such expensive device.
Android has its flaws but i came to realise also apple. under tim cook Apple is just another Tech company.
Under Steve J, apple was a way of life.

Tim Cook has taken Apple to new heights and it’s a much stronger company than ever. Steve Jobs respected and CHOSE Tim Cook to lead Apple. Cook has always been Apple’s highest paid employee since he became an executive. Jobs thought Cook was so good, he even went as far to say Tim is a better negotiator than himself. High praise from one of the most arrogant people on the planet.

Cook sells 3X the iPhones Jobs ever did and has added over $700B in shareholder value. Shareholders gave him a huge vote,of,confidence by voting Cook to remain CEO along with the board.

Apple is owned by the shareholders. It’s not a game Apple can just try crap and see if it works. This is serious business and they do a great job executing a plan. Welcome to business.

• Shareholders voted to approve all the board members for new terms, and voted against shareholder proposals seeking to make Apple form a human rights committee and to make it easier for shareholders to nominate their own slates of board directors.

[doublepost=1543979835][/doublepost]

- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/overpriced

Overpriced isn't necessarily a Maths problem but more of an English one in relation to your statement.
The latest new phones from Apple are overpriced because they cost more than a lot of people are willing to pay.
This has caused Apple to stop reporting unit sales. It has also caused them to cut production or not expand production.
We will have to wait and see if Apple prices for phones come down next year.
Didn't they say the price of the XR has just gone down in Japan?

I bought the XR, it is still way overpriced. I think most Apple gear is over priced, thats why I haven't bought much of it over the last few years. My last iPhone was the 6 which was bought 4 years ago.

My next purchase will be an new iPad for use at school because the 4 iPads in this house are not good enough to be used in school. Who would have thought than an iPad air was not good enough for school. I guess Apple gear doesn't age as well as people say.
[doublepost=1543979529][/doublepost]

How much do you think Apple shares will keep going down before they recover, and how long do you think it will take for the shares to go back up to Oct 3 values?

Stocks can do anything in the short term. Apple could drop to probably as low as $100 or if the overall market sentiment improves, zoom back to $220. Quickly.

Markets behave irrationally in the short term, but value always is recognized in the long term. You can’t overlook that AAPL just made $60B in profit in 2018 and grew eps 40%. That matters. Earnings matter. But not so much now while we have a yield curve inversion, the Fed raising rates, trade war with China, and a slowing global economy.

You’ll have days like today and NOTHING will stop stocks from going down. God couldn’t have stopped today.

I do know AAPL is cheap relative to the s&p and they have more earnings and cash than any company on the planet. A lot of speculation on Apple and the overall bad market has brought Apple down lately. I’m a buyer here and I added a decent amount of shares (4 digits) recently.

 

[I7guy]

...
Semantics. The product of A & B is C, (10 x 2 = 20)
Apple prioritise A to get to C and Google do it the other way round. They both need X number of customers, ie a certain level of market share. Stop talking rubbish.

Apple services business is growing. Customers can buy more apps, enroll in itunes, subscribe to "Appleflix", drive an "applecar" etc, all without purchasing an iphone. Not to mention the other products apple sells. It's really not clear on who is talking rubbish.
[doublepost=1543980497][/doublepost]

You're telling those who buy Apple products they are suckers.

No sir, you're telling those who buy Apple products they are suckers

I postulated Apple doesn't care (maybe I'm incorrect or maybe less dependent sic) on market share as apple already captures the lions share of profits in the mobile phone market. Android cares about market share because of mostly hardware sales.

People who buy Apple products and subscribe to their services are customers of Apple, who see value in their products. Whatever these customer's definition of value is.

 

[H2SO4]

Apple services business is growing. Customers can buy more apps, enroll in itunes, subscribe to "Appleflix", drive an "applecar" etc, all without purchasing an iphone. Not to mention the other products apple sells. It's really not clear on who is talking rubbish.

Number or products multiplied by number of people using those products = revenue. Period. Now there will be margin at different rates on each of those and other associated costs but it's still there.
Apples services have X number of customers using those services and each customer brings in money. It matters not what the medium is. Appleflix, applecart, iCloud, iPhone are all Apple products.
If Apple had only one customer that paid £1M for their next Mac Pro would it matter that much to them if they had 1,000,000 that instead paid £1 for the device instead? (In reality yes, as each of those customers would probably buy other services). Make share matters of course, the rest is Apple marketing speak.

It's not me talking rubbish.

 

[I7guy]

Number or products multiplied by number of people using those products = revenue. Period. Now there will be margin at different rates on each of those and other associated costs but it's still there.
Apples services have X number of customers using those services and each customer brings in money. It matters not what the medium is. Appleflix, applecart, iCloud, iPhone are all Apple products.
If Apple had only one customer that paid £1M for their next Mac Pro would it matter that much to them if they had 1,000,000 that instead paid £1 for the device instead? (In reality yes, as each of those customers would probably buy other services). Make share matters of course, the rest is Apple marketing speak.

It's not me talking rubbish.

Apple is less dependent on selling hardware for the reasons stated in the previous post. You disagree, no problem. However, because you believe I'm talking rubbish, doesn't automatically mean your post isn't.

 

[Baymowe335]

Number or products multiplied by number of people using those products = revenue. Period. Now there will be margin at different rates on each of those and other associated costs but it's still there.
Apples services have X number of customers using those services and each customer brings in money. It matters not what the medium is. Appleflix, applecart, iCloud, iPhone are all Apple products.
If Apple had only one customer that paid £1M for their next Mac Pro would it matter that much to them if they had 1,000,000 that instead paid £1 for the device instead? (In reality yes, as each of those customers would probably buy other services). Make share matters of course, the rest is Apple marketing speak.

It's not me talking rubbish.

Actually, units x price = revenue. You added the number of people as being important for your argument. Sales price matters.

If Apple can sell 220M units at a HIGH price and only get a lower market share, they aren’t going to try for 500M units at 1/4 of the price just to gain market share. That would mean lower sales and higher market share. Then you’re Android.

Apple could gain share if they lowered the price, but it would be at the expense of revenue. Apple has found the sweet spot to sell a ton of units but also command high ASPs. That has resulted in low market share, but owning 90% of the profit.

The side benefit to this is that Apple has a lot of room to grow. This isn’t an old Microsoft story with a monopoly share and no room to grow. Apple wants to remain a premium, aspirational brand and let the market share build slowly. Then they can sell services to add more consistent revenue streams, which they’ve done in a nearly $40B services business growing at 25%.

 

[lec0rsaire]

The solution is as follows:

iPhone XR starting @ $649 or 699
iPhone XS starting @ $799 or 899
iPhone XS Max starting @ $899 or 999

The reality is prices are too high considering you can buy an S9 or Pixel 3 for less and the S9 has a higher 1440 resolution even though they're using the same OLED displays. When my 2 year old iPhone 7 Plus runs iOS 12.1 perfectly without issues there's not a compelling reason to buy an XR, XS or XS Max. Sure the A12 is faster, the cameras are better and the OLED display is beautiful (I should know since I just bought an LG C8 on BF), but the fact remains that no one needs these features when their older 7/7 Plus, 8/8 Plus or X are still working great.

Some may disagree with me but I think Apple will have no choice unless they want to raise the price some more and move even less units. I think Apple shouldn't have released the X alongside the iPhone 8. They should've waited until 2018 to release the X with the A12 starting at the 8 Plus price. There's a limit to how much people are willing to pay for an iPhone. Same goes for the iPad Pro which fully loaded costs as much as a 2018 13" tbMBP. The MBP can even be had for less from B&H making the iPad Pro a worse value.

Don't get me wrong the new iPad Pro is a really beautiful device and I love the new Apple Pencil and how it magnetically attaches to the side but it's just too much especially if you already use a MBP or some other notebook for doing "real work."

 

[Abazigal]

Apple absolutely cares about marketshare when it comes to iOS, because there's a point at which developers will stop developing for your platform if you become irrelevant in the big picture.

Apple owns the best customers, and its smaller market share belies the fact that over 700,000 active iPhone users is still a very larger number in an absolute sense. More than enough to sustain its own thriving ecosystem.

The issue with android and its larger market share is that most of their users just aren’t spending. That’s why the iOS App Store consistently brings in more revenue.

People really have to stop blindly worshipping absolute market share in a vacuum, because it clearly isn’t telling the full story with regards to the financial health of each platform.

Remember - market share is the means. Profit is the end.

 

[Abazigal]

When they hire you, you should also hire me... I promise to do the following things:

1. Make Apple a private company (no push from shareholders to earn more each quarter)
2. Let Tim be a logistic manager
3. Hire a great visionary with passion for technology
4. Hire good designers who understand the need of design and power without sacrifice
5. Say thank you and goodbye to Johnny Ive
6. MacOS on ipads with touch and pencil
7. Hire enough persons to make Siri listen properly and do more than one command at a time
8. Focus more on marketshare to stay relevant than on profits
9. Streamline the whole soft- and hardware
10. Put more profits into R&D for a better future and future products
11. Make the Mac a thrust worthy platform again as a good alternative to Windows
12. Hire people that investigate what customers want and are missing
13. Make Apple the brand for the rest of us
14. Give a meaning to ‘think different’ again
15. ...

I could probably make it to 1000

So basically, do the opposite of everything that made Apple as successful as it is today?

 

[Abazigal]

To add on, aren’t we forgetting about the headway Apple is making in wearables?

Seems people are so fixated on how well the iPhone is doing that they completely overlook this area, which is slowly but surely gaining steam.

It’s remarkable how widespread this is amongst the tech press & wall st. How is it that everyone is simultaneously searching for what’s next (preemptively crowning things like VR and voice speakers) while dismissing that it could possibly be wearables (i.e. Watch + AirPods)?