I remember people saying the exact same thing when the Apple Watch came out.
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iPhone XR Did the iPhone XR flop? [MERGED]
- Thread starter rockitdog
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I remember people saying the exact same thing when the Apple Watch came out.
How many people are positioned around a table of devices in no way indicates what sells better. I’ve stood and played with the XS in my carrier store but never had any intention of buying it lol.
It’s been stated in quite a few articles that the XR hasn’t sold as well as expected but it’s also been reported it’s been the best selling iPhone since launch. If true then it’s disappointing all round based on expectations but likely fantastic in terms of the industry.
I think it’s clear all of Apples iPhones [And products for that matter] are not budget, the XR is still one of the top of iPhones that share some of the same core features as the XS, and aside from the price point and hardware, there is nothing ‘budget’ about it. It’s to the point where the term ‘Budget’ should be not associated with any of Apples iPhones, or maybe others are misconstruing that for ‘entry-level’.
Some people still don't seem to understand the target market for the XR.
Apple Store visitors are enthusiasts wanting to look at the newest products. XR customers are mainstream users attracted by the combination of price and features. XR customers are attracted by the latest AT&T, Verizon, and other carrier device offers. XR customers don't head to the Apple Store to upgrade at full price.
Yeah, agreed...XR is not a cheaply built device by any means. None of Apple's phones feel "cheap"
I suppose one could argue the 3G and 3GS and 5c do today but compared to the rest of their phone lineup, including the XR, they are extremely well built and premium phones.
$15 is not a "spike". $50 a month or higher would be IMO. But I agree with the rest f what you said.
[doublepost=1543686673][/doublepost]Amazing how the naysayers said the XR was a flop, huh? The "experts" here on this forum with thousands of posts. Turns out as we know and I said since it was released it would be the biggest seller.
I have a hard time believing an Apple store employee would say that. How would the employee even know what Apple hoped for? I doubt retail employees are given sales targets from Apple HQ.
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Why is that the real question? No iPhone is going to sell like the 6 did. The 6 was an outlier not the norm. John Gruber speculated that IF rumors of not great XR sales are true it might be because the XR is too much like the XS; that some people don’t like change and if they prefer Touch ID over Face ID they’re out of luck with the XR whereas last year the 8 still had Touch ID. He might be on to something though I dint think Apple should’ve kept a Touch ID line alone with a Face ID line. Face ID is the future.
I read Gruber's article as well, and as usual he makes sense. It made me wonder if Apple does update SE, will it be an edge-to-edge Face ID device, or have Touch ID? It seems like the crowd that doesn't like change might substantially intersect with the crowd that wants smaller phones.
I think that with lots of choice, especially if the choices appear a bit confusing, people who aren’t sure and/or dither are more likely to keep what they’ve got, maybe just get the battery changed, and wait until next year....
“Do I get a XR? Maybe I should splash the cash and get a XS? But why is the screen smaller on the XS? To hell with it maybe I’ll just go all out with an XS Max? But it’s loads of money, can I justify it? Will I like FaceID? Will I cope without a home button? That notch is ugly. Maybe I’ll just get an iPhone 8? Hang on, that’s too much like my current phone. I’ll just change the battery and decide next year...”
Of course eventually they will have to get a new phone. With more options maybe (I’m guessing!) it takes a bit longer for a decision.
If there’s less choice or, as an example, just one small screen SE 2 with all the “scary” new features people who are likely to dither won’t have any choice/reasons to dither and are more likely to take the plunge.
This is exactly what I've been going through... I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on a XR tomorrow though.
I think you easily misconstrued Andrewr23 post. They asked the representative how was ‘XR doing? And she replied ‘Not as good as they hoped’, which I’m assuming means _that_ specific store had not been selling as much XR stock as they thought it would initially. I don’t think the representarive was predicting any outcomes for the XR long term.
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Not to mention Apple employees are often paid minimum wage and can talk to customers on a human level without being a complete PR robots.
People would slowly adapt to a new generation of notch phones. So many are still stuck on their old trusty Touch ID, headphone jack phones.
There are those who simply refuse to upgrade, because there current devices work perfectly. So the theory is why upgrade when the consumers current iPhone works as intended? The main reasons someone would upgrade, is it the phone was too slow or if it was experiencing hardware issues of some sort. I think some realize it’s just a smart phone and they would rather invest/spend their money elsewhere on something more pertinent.
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What advantage do the new phones offer when somebody is happy with the older design and the fact their phone still works perfectly? This is why it’s becoming difficult to convince people of these small changes in design for something that essentially works the same.
Face ID itself is more functional than Touch ID, and it's used for more things than just unlocking your phone. Maybe Apple hasn't done a good enough job of telling that story.
Face ID was added to the iPhone to allow for a nearly edge-to-edge display, but beyond unlocking the phone it also makes it easier to use the phone when authenticating passwords for websites and accounts, as it just scans my face. Password authentication for websites and other accounts on the phone becomes automatic, requiring no additional steps. It makes the overall experience feel smoother and more effortless. I didn't really appreciate this benefit of Face ID until I went back to my old iPad with Touch ID. That definitely feels like a step back.
Attention awareness in general has been overlooked to some extent. The screen does not go dim when I'm looking at it. If I look away from the phone, it starts to go dim and then the phone locks. Obviously saves battery by locking the screen when not in use, but it also removes the annoyance of having the screen lock while I'm looking at it as happened on previous iPhones. The ringer and alerts are quieter when you look at the phone. This may seem minor to people who haven't experienced it, but it's nice to quiet a loud ringer just by looking at the phone as you pick it up, or have less jarring alerts while I'm looking at the phone, but louder if my attention is not on the device.
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To be fair it’s not exactly taxing using TouchID to access websites and unlock your phone. Yeah FaceID feels a bit more seem-less but is that seen as a must have? You and I know the differences because we’re interested enough to discuss it on enthusiast forums but my wife, mates and family just see the product on an internet thumbnail when upgrading or on the side in a shop. They then see the prices and that drives the purchase rather than a specific feature on the phone.
So as I said, these little design changes in the surface are struggling to convince people that the new designs are adding any benefit over their existing slightly older iPhones. I’m an enthusiast and even I went with an 8+ recently yet I know all about the newer phones. Times are a changing.
The main benefit of Face ID is the edge-to-edge display, and that's the biggest design change to the iPhone ever. If a person doesn't notice that difference or care, I'd suggest they are the type of person who is only looking at the price. No amount of innovation will interest them.
In general you’re correct. This time around though, I see compelling reasons to upgrade except for 2017 iPhone users, whether or not one’s current iPhone is working well:
First and foremost, screen size. If you notice the jump from 3.5” to 4” to 4.8”, there’s no denying that the iPhone Xr 6.1” is a massive improvement (not valid for Plus owners)
Secondly, the 2018 iPhones are beasts thanks to the A12 soc. the fluidity of gestures, app switching, face id, is hard to describe without experiencing it (not valid for A11 iPhones)
Faceid is better than touch id and you get used to it in no time. Not always better but certainly 80/20. Desk use is not better because of the angles (using laid flat) so I have a wireless charging dock that lays my iPhone at a 70 angle.
For older users or people who want to save/spare their eyesight, ZOOMED display is a godsend! All the plus iPhones have it but the X/XS don’t. The Xr has this option. It makes my previous iPhone 7 look like a tiny toy.
For $800 the iPhone Xr 128Gb has a similar price to the iPhone 7 128Gb, which used to cost $749 at launch.
I think the reasons you list are part of why the Xr is going to be the iPhone that sells most consistently throughout the year. These are the types of things that will be noticed by people who upgrade their phone when they need/want a new phone rather than because a new model of the phone was just released.
And you might compare the prices more to the iPhone 7 Plus (same point resolution on the small side) which was $50 more expensive than Xr today....
I think perhaps smartphones have become such a used to item now that people aren’t as interested as they used to be. The thing now is you don’t have to have the latest iPhone to enjoy a very mature iOS experience. When there was one iPhone each year the interest was a lot more and innovation was coming thick and fast. Now there’s 8 iPhones offered and people just look for the best deals. The innovation and surprises are more mute these days and even those who love innovation don’t necessarily buy the most expensive iPhone.