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doboy

macrumors 68040
Jul 6, 2007
3,765
2,932
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MRrainer

macrumors 68000
Aug 8, 2008
1,524
1,095
Zurich, Switzerland
Well, increasing prices every year is not sustainable in the long run - at least if you want sales in the triple-digit millions every year - but neither is the Android hardware ecosystem that relies on Apple for ideas for new phone-designs and people buying new mobile-phones basically every year.
None of the Asian handset-makers has a service-business like Apple. They have to pay Google (and MSFT) for the Android-Google-Apps. What do you think are they making money on?
Maybe they'll siphon-off all your data - but that isn't really sustainable either.

Apple assumes, you're using the device for five or six years. Else they'd never have backported iOS12 to the 5S.

Once the Chinese have sold a cheap phone to every Indian, what are they going to make money on?
It's not that people in Android-land are spending all the saved money on Apps and accessories.
Are you really going to throw-away (resale value is terrible) a perfectly working (sort-of) OnePlus phone just to get a newer Android-version?
OK, they use cheaper flash with less underprovisioning , so you'll get random crashes after a year or eighteen months and you will cave in and upgrade sooner than you want - but how often are going to do that circle-dance before you start to question who got the good end of the deal?

I admit, my current phone is a 4S (really planing to upgrade real soon now) and quality of Apple-devices has gone down since then, too. I don't know. But for now, I'm convinced I'll not get any more value from a phone than from Apple. Four-digit prices or not.
If I get a phone with an A12, I certainly won't upgrade before it stops being supported by iOS-upgrades - and probably wait a year longer.
 
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Hernan4651

macrumors member
Feb 25, 2018
87
62
Well, increasing prices every year is not sustainable in the long run - at least if you want sales in the triple-digit millions every year - but neither is the Android hardware ecosystem that relies on Apple for ideas for new phone-designs and people buying new mobile-phones basically every year.
None of the Asian handset-makers has a service-business like Apple. They have to pay Google (and MSFT) for the Android-Google-Apps. What do you think are they making money on?
Maybe they'll siphon-off all your data - but that isn't really sustainable either.

Apple assumes, you're using the device for five or six years. Else they'd never have backported iOS12 to the 5S.

Once the Chinese have sold a cheap phone to every Indian, what are they going to make money on?
It's not that people in Android-land are spending all the saved money on Apps and accessories.
Are you really going to throw-away (resale value is terrible) a perfectly working (sort-of) OnePlus phone just to get a newer Android-version?
OK, they use cheaper flash with less underprovisioning , so you'll get random crashes after a year or eighteen months and you will cave in and upgrade sooner than you want - but how often are going to do that circle-dance before you start to question who got the good end of the deal?

I admit, my current phone is a 4S (really planing to upgrade real soon now) and quality of Apple-devices has gone down since then, too. I don't know. But for now, I'm convinced I'll not get any more value from a phone than from Apple. Four-digit prices or not.
If I get a phone with an A12, I certainly won't upgrade before it stops being supported by iOS-upgrades - and probably wait a year longer.
Except for the fact that the only phone that you would buy is made with the best components from another company.
So it's common sense to conclude that if Apple gets Better Samsung will get better (The most advanced company in R&D).
 

AppleHaterLover

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2018
2,048
2,051
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. I thought long and hard about upgrading my 7 Plus. Then I decided I absolutely don’t need to have an $1100 phone and ticked another option box for a car I’m buying. Maybe next year.

Being able to afford it is one thing, accepting to overpay for something you don’t absolutely need is another.
 

Jimmy James

macrumors 603
Oct 26, 2008
5,488
4,067
Magicland
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.

Wait for the XI Max. Pro.
 

iapplelove

Suspended
Nov 22, 2011
5,324
7,638
East Coast USA
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.

But we didn’t hear about this until the summer time, or close to when production of the newer models were about to begin.

And what’s even more odd is Apple is producing the X again. It’s cheaper to produce and is as good as the Xs
https://www.theverge.com/platform/a...duction-resumed-weak-demand-2018-models-rumor
 

bushman4

macrumors 601
Mar 22, 2011
4,026
3,427
Time for Apple to come up with new hardware
Be it a double sided screen or a folding iPhone or something else The software is already near a maximum growing point despite some changes and differentiations
Hopefully Apple realizes this as nobody wants to see Apple go down
 

bushman4

macrumors 601
Mar 22, 2011
4,026
3,427
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.
End of January when Apple reports its EPS the real story will be told Unfortunately there will not be a breakdown in terms of how many sold
In any case it’s time for Apple to revive the hardware of the iPhone to a flip iPhone or a 2
Screen iPhone or whatever. A change like that will bring new life to the iPhone as opposed to the respirator it’s on
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,491
Personally, I'm not upgrading my old iPhone until it breaks and bricks. I'm Apple's nightmare

No, you’re not Apples nightmare, you’re just not their ‘target demographic’ for upgrading. There are hundreds of thousands of people that never upgrade their iPhones and use them until they fail.

Carriers make the incentives much easier and do the ‘Heavy lifting’ for Apple to want to upgrade for trade-ins, promotions, gift card incentives, etc. Carriers are facilitators for Apple in promoting upgrades.
 
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Abs_p

macrumors 6502a
Jul 15, 2011
897
422
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?

It would not be the first. They have cut prices before.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,388
24,133
Wales, United Kingdom
No, you’re not Apples nightmare, you’re just not their ‘target demographic’ for upgrading. There are hundreds of thousands of people that never upgrade their iPhones and use them until they fail.
I think the point is that the demographic of people keeping their iPhones longer is growing by the year and it’s something Apple should be a little concerned about and in fact the whole industry should be trying to tackle. If they are happy with their upgrade market shrinking and just keep putting the price of new iPhones up to cover the damage, then I think that’s ignoring the consumer.

It used to be a case where people come to the end of their contract and they upgrade because they can. Now it’s a hefty upfront cost with monthly payments significantly more expensive again. I think the days of people needing the latest iPhone because it’s the new iPhone are over on the whole and a different approach is needed rather than hiking up prices for a short term buck.
 

lyngo

macrumors 6502a
Sep 10, 2007
851
1,444
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.

How? I love my XR and cost wasn’t the issue in my choice of phone this year.

As an aside, I thin they are all not selling well because of price for most people and market saturation.
 

rwh63

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2010
436
238
New England
I like the SE so much that i just purchased two new ones through Walmart yesterday. $80 each shipped!! only 32 GBs in size, but otherwise same as my 64 GB version. both in silver (was hoping for space gray). i have t-mobile, and from what i read walmart plans are geared to t-mobile, so should be able to swap if needed, or may drop t-mobile and just do the monthly prepaid plan through walmart.

i love the pocketable size of the SE, and the cases are cheap (i like Speck).

if all fails, i can return them, or use them as wi-fi/music/photo/app machines.
 

PeteS1963

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2014
443
323
But we didn’t hear about this until the summer time, or close to when production of the newer models were about to begin.

And what’s even more odd is Apple is producing the X again. It’s cheaper to produce and is as good as the Xs
https://www.theverge.com/platform/a...duction-resumed-weak-demand-2018-models-rumor

If you are talking about the iPhone X then no. The non-sense started in December last year.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/apple-iphone-x-sales-estimates,news-26298.html

Since the X was released to the public in November there really isn’t much difference.
 

Strider64

macrumors 65816
Dec 1, 2015
1,370
10,920
Suburb of Detroit
I personally think all smartphones are priced too high, but if people keep buying them then companies such as Apple will think it gives them the green light to charge even more.

My personal opinion on the matter is Apple is doing smoke and mirrors with the XR in order to keep their profit margins up as high possible without ticking off their consumer base. I also think it is going to backfire on them big time, for I think the average iPhone buyer is smarter than they think they are. I think Apple could had charge $500 for the XR and dropped their older phones even more. Apple would probably still be making 300 percent profit or more even at those prices, but Apple's usual reply is Research & Development cost a lot of money and that's why we have to increase the cost of the phones. True R & D is expense, but smartphones have mature a lot since they were first brought on the market that advancements will be slower to come to the marketplace.
 

brentc133

macrumors regular
Jan 31, 2012
102
69
Had to know that eventually the bubble would burst. You cannot keep increasing prices every year for products that change so little. Consumers can only bear so much. More people now are forced to keep their phones for multiple years as they simply cannot afford or justify the yearly upgrade price anymore.
 
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OTACORB

macrumors 68000
Jun 21, 2009
1,543
1,030
Central, Louisiana
There is no doubt that greed has long ago creeped in Apple and while they package it all up nicely with the marketing they do, the fact remains. They could sell phones cheaper no doubt about it, but they won't at least not directly. They will cut the cost to retailers and carriers and let them sell them cheaper in order to hit their sales goals. I think the mistake that many are making. Apple doesn't care if you buy and iPhone 7 or 8 series, X, Xs, Xs Max or Xr. They hit all price points in their strategy unlike when Steve was around. Steve wouldn't have done it this way. He would have always kept a couple of single phones around and the buzz would drive them and it appeared they were selling tons more, but where they? Apple is still selling a **** load of phones and making a **** load of money. I think all this speculation is nothing more than that. Anyone that doesn't think Apple is prepared for the changing market just needs to look at how they have changed what they are doing. They are moving into services and subscriptions and as the iPhone sales hit peaks and begin to ebb and it will which I am sure they know. The smart phone market is saturated not to mention that iPhones just keep working for 3 or 4 solid updates. Hell most android owners are luck if they get one... m a y b e two updates. So they don't need to sell as many to remain profitable as services increase.

I think with each release Apple learns a bit about what the market will tolerate. I've yet to see any of these phones actually fail in the market place. Maybe not hit expectations, but fail. NOPE! The Xr, Xs and Max won't fail either.

I do think the next quarter.. not the holiday quarter we are in now will be telling.
 

Deeds500

macrumors 6502
Aug 22, 2014
313
490
I can see the slowdown in sales extending beyond this year if Apple do do not majorly adjust the direction they have been heading in under Cook. I predicted this some time ago and posted about it somewhere on this site.

For 2-3 years I've been complaining about the iphone and lack of wow about it and I was told if I don't like it to get another phone. And many other ppl were told the same thing...get another phone. You come on here to vent your frustration because:

1) this is a site predominantly about iphones,

2) you are an iphone user and you really don't want to leave the iphone and its ecosystem,

3) you're frustrated with the lack of wow features year after year,

and you get told by a keyboard warrior fanboy to go get another phone. To all those who said go get another phone, you happy now? People are actually following your advice in droves. At this rate, the iphone will be dead in 10 years.

People are not fools. They do not want to pay through the roof for a product when rival products offer more but for less. The budget phone starts at $750.

You reap what you sew. Tim Crook has been riding the bus that Steve Jobs built for 5-6 years. Now that he has driven it into the ground, let's see if he is capable of building his own bus which will get the iphone back to what it once was, the consumer product of the century. I won't be holding my breath.
 

MacLappy

macrumors 6502a
Jul 28, 2011
530
393
Singapore
Actually, I find the iPhone XR pretty well price. The last iPhone that I purchase which was the iPhone 6S plus 128gb, cost $949 at launch. I did get an iPhone 7 plus 128gb as a gift from my dad, it cost $869 at launch. I never owned an iPhone 8 plus but bought one for my wife, the 64gb version cost $799. We really wanted 128gb but it was not an option, the next available tier was 256gb which cost $949.

The iPhone XR 128gb, cost $799. has a bigger brighter display, in a smaller body, has a much better camera, unlocks easily with face detention, has wirelessly charging, has the longest battery life ever for an iPhone, comes equipped with the most current chip from Apple(A12 Bionic), has the most amount of ram in any single rear camera iPhone, in a brand spanking new design with a whole range of colours to choose from.

I do understand that the XS/XS MAX is kind of expensive but so is the ceramic apple watch. It’s suppose to be exclusive in that kind of way. I think Apple did a really good job in reasonably pricing some of its key products even at launch to make them readily available to a larger demographic of people, like in the case of the iPhone XR and the 2017/2018 iPad.

It’s going to get harder and harder for any single model to far out sell the rest simply because the iPhone stay relevant for such a long time.

Even today, an iPhone 8 from last year will still out perform current top tier android phones, simply because Apple chips are far more efficient, powerful and well integrated with its OS(IOS), with updates stretching back to models that have been around for like 5 years.

Want a small iPhone, get the iPhone 8.
Want the iPhone with the most crisp text get a 7/8 plus.
Want the lowest cost iPhone while enjoying most of the benefits of IOS get the iPhone 7.
Want the biggest screen get the XS Max.

Choices. It is something that I have grown to like.
 
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