iPhone XR If the iPhone XR is "selling poorly" then..

[wakinghour]

Investors and news outlets are reporting that Apple is slowing down production for the iPhone XR, and on that metric, imply that sales might not be good. I'm not defending Apple against this idea - their high prices probably would yield lower demand overall.

So then, why is it the phone that people seem to be most interested in talking about? I seldom see discussion about the XS, but all over YouTube and Twitter, I get the sense that the XR generates a lot of discussion. Not only that, it is mostly positive.

It's possible that the algorithmic news feeds are simply creating an echo chamber but I wanted to see what other people's thoughts were.

 

[PeteS1963]

Apparently the XS is selling poorly too...

https://9to5mac.com/2018/11/19/apple-cuts-orders-iphone-xs-xr/

But we heard this last year about the X too.

 

[Hernan4651]

It's very difficult to determine if it's selling poorly or not.
But they cut orders by 20% and the APPL stocks are falling 20% in 2 months.
That's not good.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I do not see Apple cutting prices much until the Holidays are over. They are making more than ever per phone and I am betting they will discount little. I am betting Apple will settle for high profit on less devices than discount and hope for more volume.

In the end, I am betting Apple comes out ahead. The “bear market” for phones will slow things down but there is still much demand.

 

[OTACORB]

If they do discount they will pass those to retailers who will cut prices, but it is unlikely they will cut prices in their own retail stores. If they do that would be a first and more telling than anything investors could report.

Fact is we don't know how poorly it is selling and since they are no longer going to provide numbers we likely won't ever know for sure. We've seen these reports over and over with almost every model and yet some how Apple has managed to rake in billions!

Like I said in another post is this the year that greed and overcharging catches up to them?

 

[I7guy]

If they do discount they will pass those to retailers who will cut prices, but it is unlikely they will cut prices in their own retail stores. If they do that would be a first and more telling than anything investors could report.

Fact is we don't know how poorly it is selling and since they are no longer going to provide numbers we likely won't ever know for sure. We've seen these reports over and over with almost every model and yet some how Apple has managed to rake in billions!

Like I said in another post is this the year that greed and overcharging catches up to them?

Check out their guidance for the next quarter. It's the quarter after this coming quarter that seemingly slows down. But apple wants it's devices to last longer, hence sales might be slowing, but services and other goods hopefully will make up for it.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

It’s all relative isn’t it? There could be (and I think there is) a lot of positive press around the Xr in particular, but there is a certain amount of purchase fatigue it seems to me, at least in the west. Another price hike, and (subjectively) diminishing value for money with each new iteration of the iPhone. People are choosing to hold onto their phones longer as a consequence.
If you ask the average joe about the Xr, the response is likely to be “yeah that’s nice, but I’m holding onto my current phone until I run it into the ground”.

 

[Strider64]

I just bought the iPhone XR, but the only reason I did was to get back to having all my products back to the Apple Eco System. I also plan on having the iPhone XR for years to come. I think the smartphone industry as a whole is starting to mature and years from now companies (Apple, Google Samsung, etc...) are going to have to concentrate on developing new technologies to either supplement smartphone lineups or go more on the software side of things. I don't see Apple doing the later.

 

[44267547]

This is the exact same mudslinging predictions we here every year from analysts. For example, it was last year with the 2017 iPhone X that Tim Cook had stated it was the best selling iPhone model for every week for that specific quarter. Yet, these supply-chain analyst have _no_ inside information about actual sales. And even if they had some validity about what they were saying, no one has inside information to Apples supply chain quantities.

 

[Zimmy68]

Investors and news outlets are reporting that Apple is slowing down production for the iPhone XR, and on that metric, imply that sales might not be good. I'm not defending Apple against this idea - their high prices probably would yield lower demand overall.

So then, why is it the phone that people seem to be most interested in talking about? I seldom see discussion about the XS, but all over YouTube and Twitter, I get the sense that the XR generates a lot of discussion. Not only that, it is mostly positive.

It's possible that the algorithmic news feeds are simply creating an echo chamber but I wanted to see what other people's thoughts were.

Most people are talking about it, here.
I haven't heard a peep anywhere else.
The first thing people do when they get a new Apple product is run here and try to validate their purchase.
How do they do that?
Lots of "It's better then then X,XS,XS Max" or "I could have gotten the XS but wanted the XR" and a healthy dose of "I returned my XS Max and got a XR and love it".
Those kind of threads gets lots of activity.

I never really understood it. Get the iPhone you want and enjoy it. Don't worry about trying convince everyone else on your decision.

 

[Radon87000]

The iPhone XR is an inferior product in many ways to the iPhone 8 that it replaces. No surprise it’s not selling well. It’s the new iPhone 5c. It’s either the XS or the XS Max. The XR is a compromised product.

 

[FoxD]

The iPhone XR is an inferior product in many ways to the iPhone 8 that it replaces. No surprise it’s not selling well. It’s the new iPhone 5c. It’s either the XS or the XS Max. The XR is a compromised product.

Too many phones and terrible names now. Apple is supposed to keep it simple. I love the Xs Max because of the size but wouldn’t have upgraded if the X was this size.

Hate the names this year. My friends who are not techy have no idea the difference now.

 

[Waterman316]

Prices, along with lack of ground breaking design changes, has people holding onto their phones longer. I’m going to be n the same schedule now with my Xs max. $1100 for a phone. Ouch. And their not going to get any cheaper. Price is only going to go up. It will be a s99lid two years at least before I upgrade. Face ID isn’t going away any time soon...and the only other biometric option they have is the retina scanner...which doesn’t appeal to me so upgrading that isn’t going to have no effect on me....I keep the attention feature off anyways. Upgraded chips, faster....this phone is beyond fast enough for me. Maybe some new emojis...which apparently seems like Apple considers that a major feature. Can do nothing but roll my eyes at that. We have reach a point where the upgrades to a lot of technology is at a stand still. Especially in phones. There’s not really any ground breaking features left to add. Dark mode is my most sought after feature. And that’s questionable if that will ever happen.

What I wish for, is for the iPad to have a full file system like a computer...where you can download a video off the internet and then sync it to the iPhone. The ability to access a external hard drive and sync something from it to the iPad..or even to the iPhone.

 

[maflynn]

I think the move to increase profits over slowing sales was the wrong move. Sure it will have a short term affect of improving (or propping up) profits, but in the long term, people will either look for less expensive options, hold off, or just switch to android.

 

[Hernan4651]

Today they are "admitting" some wrong decisions.
In Japan , Apple is starting to offer some carrier subsidies lowering the price of the Xr.
And it's restarting Iphone X production for some markets.

 

[rwh63]

Bring back the iPhone SE (version 2)! i have the version 1 and it is a great phone. problem solved.

 

[Otflyer]

deleted

 

[thadoggfather]

I’m not surprised things arent selling well

The $1000+ dollar X standard is obnoxious who wants to pay that every year?

And $749 isnt at all a budget phone, despite Tim saying they want to make an iPhone for everyone.. its a departure from SE pricing or older iPhones sold at lower points. It’s still good value imo in Apple pricing world, and a premium near-flagship with a lot of overlap, but still not by any objective measure a budget tier.

I love my XR, but if not for trading in my 7+ To lessen the blow, I would not have forked over for a 128GB.

Plus products are relatively mature and the average person cares less and less as prices go up and up. the gap is widening.

I see tons of old iPhones in the wild

I hope hubris is their downfall, Tim Cook’s Apple couldn’t be in a more arrogant state right now.

$800/$1000+ iPad Pros too? GTOH!

And $1800+ to get a MacBook Pro that will be less likely to have its keyboard break? Meh.

Not to mention the lineup across all product lines is absurdly cluttered, and in some cases, makes no sense.

Like selling 10.5” for no discount after a successor, Selling a 2017 nTB that never got refreshed with 2018’s and no price drop, iPad Mini 4 for friggin $400 , that is more than the 2018 regular iPad.

What is going on?!?

 

[balaplus]

I’m not surprised things arent selling well

The $1000+ dollar X standard is obnoxious who wants to pay that every year?

It is very very difficult for a trillion dollar company to maintain a growth trajectory.
Tim had no choice really.. He introduced a $1,000 iphone last year and in spite of criticism from the media, people went ahead and bought truckloads anyway. Obviously, he had to try $1,500 this year to figure out if it will fly.

 

[Davidhedge]

I think the move to increase profits over slowing sales was the wrong move. Sure it will have a short term affect of improving (or propping up) profits, but in the long term, people will either look for less expensive options, hold off, or just switch to android.

This is exactly what I did. I'm on TMobile and as soon as I saw the one plus 6t was coming to TMobile my decision was made. I left the iPhone x for the OnePlus. I don't regret it at all. I loved apple but I just simply cannot support the direction they are heading in.

 

[thadoggfather]

It is very very difficult for a trillion dollar company to maintain a growth trajectory.
Tim had no choice really.. He introduced a $1,000 iphone last year and in spite of criticism from the media, people went ahead and bought truckloads anyway. Obviously, he had to try $1,500 this year to figure out if it will fly.

It’s a balance of siphoning funds out of customers’ wallets while not burning bridges

Adoption rates are going to slow significantly. People will be more angry with the brand when they see the out of pocket costs for replacement devices. This is the other way Apple is recouping funds is absurd service figures, knowing people hold onto devices long so they have to get their money from somewhere

Not including a headphone adapter or 18w cube on a $1100+ iDevice was a nice touch to show they care, too.

I dont see the trajectory as sustainable, frankly.

 

[now i see it]

New phones don't do much differently than the old ones. No real reason to upgrade unless you're a camera connoisseur.

Personally, I'm not upgrading my old iPhone until it breaks and bricks. I'm Apple's nightmare

 

[balaplus]

I dont see the trajectory as sustainable, frankly.

No it is not... It is just a question of delaying the inevitable..
Once Apple realised the lack of growth potential in developing countries, price gouging in the West was the only solution to make money - until the next product comes along...

 

[thadoggfather]

price gouging in the West was the only solution to make money - until the next product comes along...

Thanks for calling what it is at least, which is my main point: they are gouging hard.

And if the West has the cheapest Apple prices (they do), imagine the additional tax by this new wave of gouging, on top of regular gouging, for international markets

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

In these discussions it’s always pointed out that Apple don’t need to worry because their profits are healthy and that’s very naive I’d say. Short term forecasts happy with stable profit but ignoring long term persistent popularity is risky. Apple may say they are happy with consumers keeping their iPhones longer while hiding their figures but constant demand drives innovation and the way things are going we are going to see prices rise again and again as the drop off continues. That only lasts so long before companies become reactive.