Other Apple's logic behind discontinuing the Xs but continuing to sell the XR?

[Damo88]

Anyone know what Apple's logic is behind discontinuing the Xs, while continuing to sell the XR? I can understand them discontinuing the Xs to push 11 Pro sales, as a lot of people would have just opted for the Xs as the upgrade is minimal. The exact same thing can be said for the XR and 11, if not more so.

So why continue to sell one and not the other? Would I be right in saying that 3D Touch has a big part to play in it.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Apple discontinued the X when the XS came out.. Why offer the older design when the new phone is the focus? Carriers and others will sell the discontinued phone long after Apple ditches it.

 

[C DM]

Apple discontinued the X when the XS came out.. Why offer the older design when the new phone is the focus? Carriers and others will sell the discontinued phone long after Apple ditches it.

Seems like that's part of the question -- why not discontinue the XR then (given that the 11 came out)?

 

[chabig]

The XR costs less than the 11, so it fills a space in the lineup.

 

[C DM]

The XR costs less than the 11, so it fills a space in the lineup.

Well, the Xs would cost less than the 11 Pro so it would similarly fill a space in the line up if that was the logic (and there's also still the 8 that costs less too if we are talking about cheaper options being available in general).

 

[44267547]

Would I be right in saying that 3D Touch has a big part to play in it.

Let me ask you this, do you think the majority of consumers have any idea what 3D Touch is or even was? I can tell you right now, they don’t . 3D Touch was a simple deletion for Apple as a cost saving measure, plus allowing for a larger battery.

There’s a select few techie individuals on sites like this who knew how to manipulate 3D touch for what it had to offer, but I question how many consumers actually knew what 3D Touch even was or how to utilize it.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Seems like that's part of the question -- why not discontinue the XR then (given that the 11 came out)?

That is a great question that I’ve never thought of.. I guess Apple is just interested in protecting flagship sales, what else could it be?

 

[Damo88]

Well, the Xs would cost less than the 11 Pro so it would similarly fill a space in the line up if that was the logic (and there's also still the 8 that costs less too if we are talking about cheaper options being available in general).

That's the point I was making. Why not discontinue the XR along with the Xs? They both offer a cheaper alternative to the newer model.

Let me ask you this, do you think the majority of consumers have any idea what 3D Touch is or even was? I can tell you right now, they don’t . 3D Touch was a simple deletion for Apple as a cost saving measure, plus allowing for a larger battery.

There’s a select few techie individuals on sites like this who knew how to manipulate 3D touch for what it had to offer, but I question how many consumers actually knew what 3D Touch even was or how to utilize it.

Although I don't think it was an incredibly popular feature, I believe more used it than you might imagine.

I just can't get my head around why they discontinued one and not the other.

 

[Wide opeN]

That is a great question that I’ve never thought of.. I guess Apple is just interested in protecting flagship sales, what else could it be?

This EXACTLY!!! They realize they need to capture more of the low end market that Android caters to. Hence the Xr continuing to be offered and not the Xs (Max).

Was in the Apple Store the other day and sure enough some grandma was giddy as could be updating to a blue Xr.

 

[teknikal90]

OLED

 

[C DM]

OLED

What about it? And how does it relate to this?

 

[kevink2]

Well, the Xs would cost less than the 11 Pro so it would similarly fill a space in the line up if that was the logic (and there's also still the 8 that costs less too if we are talking about cheaper options being available in general).

But there is less of a space in the lineup for the Xs. The Xr is a fairly small markup over the 8. But if the Xs was priced between the 11 and 11 Pro it mostly is just a cheaper 11 with a lesser camera.

 

[Aydy]

The Xs is/was a flagship device while the Xr is ‘technically, apple midrange. The Xs is way closer to 11 pro, spec wise. Inevitably, the Xs at lower price than 11pro would hinder the pro’s sales. I assume they will get rid of the 11 pro/max models in September to clear the path for 12 pro sales also.

 

[brucemr]

This EXACTLY!!! They realize they need to capture more of the low end market that Android caters to. Hence the Xr continuing to be offered and not the Xs (Max).

Was in the Apple Store the other day and sure enough some grandma was giddy as could be updating to a blue Xr.

Good for grandma! Now rocking modern all-screen iPhone for the first time. And its blue! Could have gotten an 8. Saved $150. But 8 had only boring old colors. And outdated 4.7” screen, and big bezels and home button. Grandma is smart.

 

[Wide opeN]

Good for grandma! Now rocking modern all-screen iPhone for the first time. And its blue! Could have gotten an 8. Saved $150. But 8 had only boring old colors. And outdated 4.7” screen, and big bezels and home button. Grandma is smart.

To be sure, I was happy for her as well 😭

 

[C DM]

The Xs is/was a flagship device while the Xr is ‘technically, apple midrange. The Xs is way closer to 11 pro, spec wise. Inevitably, the Xs at lower price than 11pro would hinder the pro’s sales. I assume they will get rid of the 11 pro/max models in September to clear the path for 12 pro sales also.

By that logic the same type of thing should apply to XR and 11, except that both are being sold (in addition to 8 too).

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Anyone know what Apple's logic is behind discontinuing the Xs, while continuing to sell the XR? I can understand them discontinuing the Xs to push 11 Pro sales, as a lot of people would have just opted for the Xs as the upgrade is minimal. The exact same thing can be said for the XR and 11, if not more so.

So why continue to sell one and not the other? Would I be right in saying that 3D Touch has a big part to play in it.

The XR and 11 are the best selling iPhones and Apple doesn’t want you buying an XS as this takes sales away from there Pro series due to the fact they are so similar and at the expensive end of the market. They are not going to stifle their flagship range further.

 

[MrKennedy]

We don’t have the sales data nor do we know how much it costs Apple to keep manufacturing each model. They have the data and the models to help determine which devices to sell each year.

You can usually find the discontinued models at carriers, second hand, etc..

 

[C DM]

The XR and 11 are the best selling iPhones and Apple doesn’t want you buying an XS as this takes sales away from there Pro series due to the fact they are so similar and at the expensive end of the market. They are not going to stifle their flagship range further.

Why would then Apple similarly be OK with taking sales away from 11 by still having XR on sale given that they are similar and at the similar range of the market?

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Why would then Apple similarly be OK with taking sales away from 11 by still having XR on sale given that they are similar and at the similar range of the market?

Much lower margins as the XR and 11 are around £250 different in price. The market is much bigger for those types of iPhones as they are mainstream models. The Pro series appeals to far fewer and Apple would rather tempt people to pay £1k+ than slightly undercut that and find people paying £850 for an XS.

 

[teknikal90]

What about it? And how does it relate to this?

the OLED screen is the differentiator between the "premium" and "default" iPhone.

Having the XS available and undercutting the iPhone 11 but with an OLED screen would make the 11 Pro premium proposition to not make any sense. It's harder to sell the 11 Pro being $400 more expensive than the 11 for having an OLED screen when the cheaper XS in that case also has an OLED screen.

 

[brucemr]

the OLED screen is the differentiator between the "premium" and "default" iPhone.

Having the XS available and undercutting the iPhone 11 but with an OLED screen would make the 11 Pro premium proposition to not make any sense. It's harder to sell the 11 Pro being $400 more expensive than the 11 for having an OLED screen when the cheaper XS in that case also has an OLED screen.

If Xs had been continued, would not be cheaper than the 11. Would be $850-$900.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

the OLED screen is the differentiator between the "premium" and "default" iPhone.

Having the XS available and undercutting the iPhone 11 but with an OLED screen would make the 11 Pro premium proposition to not make any sense. It's harder to sell the 11 Pro being $400 more expensive than the 11 for having an OLED screen when the cheaper XS in that case also has an OLED screen.

In my experience people don’t understand the difference unless they are into tech. I know people with OLED iPhones who didn’t even realise the screen was OLED or base their buying choice on that. I think price is the major selling point and people buy whatever iPhone they are comfortable paying for regardless of specs.

 

[Tsepz]

Anyone know what Apple's logic is behind discontinuing the Xs, while continuing to sell the XR? I can understand them discontinuing the Xs to push 11 Pro sales, as a lot of people would have just opted for the Xs as the upgrade is minimal. The exact same thing can be said for the XR and 11, if not more so.

So why continue to sell one and not the other? Would I be right in saying that 3D Touch has a big part to play in it.

Margins.

The iPhone XS and XS Max probably cost about as much to make/build as the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

Now with the new phones out, that would mean the XS and XS Max would need to be priced lower and it probably made no sense to the accountants to keep building the XS series at its high cost while selling at lower prices, it would not look good in the balance sheet.

 

[C DM]

the OLED screen is the differentiator between the "premium" and "default" iPhone.

Having the XS available and undercutting the iPhone 11 but with an OLED screen would make the 11 Pro premium proposition to not make any sense. It's harder to sell the 11 Pro being $400 more expensive than the 11 for having an OLED screen when the cheaper XS in that case also has an OLED screen.

There's certainly all of that, it just doesn't touch upon the part of the XR still being sold along with the 11.