iPhone XR If the iPhone XR is the “cheaper” iPhone X many customers have wanted, why are sales reportedly slow

[jeremiah256]

If you want to replace a 4 year old phone because you bought it new 4 years ago you don’t want to replace it with a two year old phone. That doesn’t make sense....

It’s not a 2 year old used phone. It’s a phone with specs that the average person would be very happy with, especially for the price. Why buy the latest hotness for full price if the specs on the iPhone 7 or 8 provide improvements for a substantial savings?

 

[AlexJoda]

It’s not a 2 year old used phone. It’s a phone with specs that the average person would be very happy with, especially for the price. Why buy the latest hotness for full price if the specs on the iPhone 7 or 8 provide improvements for a substantial savings?

I understand the aspect of not buying „the latest hotness“ all the time, that’s why a stayed with my 6 for four years. But this concept only makes sense if you make a giant leap with the next phone you buy as this also should stay very long. So I am planning to use my new Xr at least as long as the 6. That would be difficult with an iPhone 7.

If wanted the 7 I could and might have done it two years ago but at that time the 7 seems not that much of an improvement to me. So I stayed with my 6. In my case in terms of money saving there is no advantage to buy the old 7 now....

 

[Tec972]

My one question is how does nearly every other manufacturer manage to put OLED displays in their phones that cost considerably less than the XR? It's because the XR should not cost what it does. Apple could charge $150 less and still make a lot of money, but they are very greedy. I hope the public rebukes their pricing lunacy.

 

[jeremiah256]

I understand the aspect of not buying „the latest hotness“ all the time, that’s why a stayed with my 6 for four years. But this concept only makes sense if you make a giant leap with the next phone you buy as this also should stay very long. So I am planning to use my new Xr at least as long as the 6. That would be difficult with an iPhone 7.

If wanted the 7 I could and might have done it two years ago but at that time the 7 seems not that much of an improvement to me. So I stayed with my 6. In my case in terms of money saving there is no advantage to buy the old 7 now....

And I normally would agree 100% with this, except that last year Apple’s new phone went from a $650 pay to play cost to $1000 with the base iPhone X. For $1000 you can get a base iPhone 8 and a new iPad, with money left over. And the difference between a 2014 iPhone 6 and a 2017 iPhone 8 is pretty drastic.

 

[Tec972]

Oh its not even a 1080 display.... ROFL, a screen from like 8 years ago despite them calling it liquid retina.. Give me a break

 

[44267547]

Cooks states X became the best selling iPhone in the first quarter of 2018, but does not mean it is success. It just mean is outsells iPhone 8. It does not mean it sells well.

Smart Watch market is still flop. It is no where near the success as smartphone. Even though Apple Watch maybe the best seller, the whole category is still flop. I would not call Apple Watch success.

It seems you just want to dismiss _any_ success related to the iPhone, Apple Watch, or Apple in general etc. Considering that the iPhone is most popular phone in the world, which in theory, would make sense why the Apple Watch would be one of the top selling smart watches, and there is a reason why it dominates the competition.

Smart Watch market is still flop. It is no where near the success as smartphone.

No one is comparing the Apple Watch to the iPhone in terms of how successful it is, these are two separate categories, one being the primary source of generated revenue for Apple and the other one being accessory to the iPhone, Both of which are successful in their own right.

 

[Ploki]

if customers built apple things:

 

[teknikal90]

No the Xs max is a completely separate beast as the screen size is not comparable. So we basically disagree on how the price increases are calculated and based on how it's framed the price hikes are inconsequential or huge.

the X is the successor to the plus models. The max is the new benchmark in screen sizes, but even so, plus to max, as I stated is a minimal amount.

I don't understand how one compares an iphone 6,7,8 to the Max, the screen size is not comparable.

Right. Agree to disagree then

 

[I7guy]

And I normally would agree 100% with this, except that last year Apple’s new phone went from a $650 pay to play cost to $1000 with the base iPhone X. For $1000 you can get a base iPhone 8 and a new iPad, with money left over. And the difference between a 2014 iPhone 6 and a 2017 iPhone 8 is pretty drastic.

The iPhone X was priced for the tech. Example I used previously: a model t was $450 now you can buy a ford upward of $250k.

The screen on the x is closest to the plus models and the price isn’t that different from the plus.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Car analogies don’t really work against mobile phones as the prices of mobiles are fairly contained. Cars cost tens of thousands in many cases and there is a vast choice throughout its industry. The choice means demand is watered down without strong focus on particular brands and trim levels. The phone market is more narrow in terms of choice which is why it’s more noticeable when certain models are not so popular.

Three new iPhones in my extended family today. One 8+ and two iPhone 8’s. Without discussing the new models as not to offend, I asked what made them want the models they had and it came down to ‘good deals’.

 

[I7guy]

Car analogies don’t really work against mobile phones as the prices of mobiles are fairly contained. Cars cost tens of thousands in many cases and there is a vast choice throughout its industry. The choice means demand is watered down without strong focus on particular brands and trim levels. The phone market is more narrow in terms of choice which is why it’s more noticeable when certain models are not so popular.

Three new iPhones in my extended family today. One 8+ and two iPhone 8’s. Without discussing the new models as not to offend, I asked what made them want the models they had and it came down to ‘good deals’.

Congratulations to the new members of the family. I hope they grow and prosper.

 

[Shiro_Simba]

Cause people don’t want to pay £749. That is not cheap
[doublepost=1545770187][/doublepost]

I want a Ferrari to be cheaper. Reality is the price is the price. If apple mis-priced the phones we will know at the earnings call.

Ferrari also offers cheaper models

Problem is people don’t want to pay that much for a car.

Apple like Ferrari are starting to cater for the rich, And alas the rich people don’t need more than one unit. Unit sales are dropping so prices are going up.

 

[I7guy]

Cause people don’t want to pay £749. That is not cheap
[doublepost=1545770187][/doublepost]

Ferrari also offers cheaper models

Problem is people don’t want to pay that much for a car.

Apple like Ferrari are starting to cater for the rich, And alas the rich people don’t need more than one unit. Unit sales are dropping so prices are going up.

Tim Cook is, IMO, brilliant and knows what he is doing. While I would like to pay $650 for a top end iPhone and $50,000 for a new Ferrari, neither are going to happen.

 

[Shiro_Simba]

Tim Cook is, IMO, brilliant and knows what he is doing. While I would like to pay $650 for a top end iPhone and $50,000 for a new Ferrari, neither are going to happen.

There is no relationship between and iPhone and a Ferrari

None at all, if your have ever been in one . One is a piece of art, hand built, the passion of automotive history , the other a device that rolled out from a Chinese factory. One is art, the other a phone.

 

[I7guy]

There is no relationship between and iPhone and a Ferrari

None at all, if your have ever been in one . One is a piece of art, hand built, the passion of automotive history , the other a device that rolled out from a Chinese factory. One is art, the other a phone.

One is a car, the other a phone. It depends on your viewpoint.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

There is no relationship between and iPhone and a Ferrari

None at all, if your have ever been in one . One is a piece of art, hand built, the passion of automotive history , the other a device that rolled out from a Chinese factory. One is art, the other a phone.

Indeed. An iPhone is a nice smartphone mass produced in a Chinese factory in the many millions and the other is a prestigious and stunningly designed automotive marque. One is a consumer product and the other is a privilege and one of status. Give me a classic British sports car over an unreliable Italian supercar though lol. If someone compared an iPhone to an Aston Martin or an Ascari then I would be first in the queue to slap them across the face lol.

 

[AlexJoda]

And I normally would agree 100% with this, except that last year Apple’s new phone went from a $650 pay to play cost to $1000 with the base iPhone X. For $1000 you can get a base iPhone 8 and a new iPad, with money left over. And the difference between a 2014 iPhone 6 and a 2017 iPhone 8 is pretty drastic.

Thought about the iPhone 8 too when it was released last year but did not buy it because of these reasons:

• The 8 had the same design, screen size and bezels than the iPhone 6 but is much heavier and thicker.
• The 8 looks a bit dated compared to the iPhone X that was released at the same time and did not get it’s main improvements.
• The 8 has still only 2GB RAM which defines how long it last with future IOS versions.
• There is no 128 GB version and the 256GB also comes close to the $1000 region which is too much for this old design (it is even too much for the new design...)
• Although there are changes to the 6 there are few basic functionality improvements.

The Xr in contrast has advantages in my opinion:

• There is a 128GB version (sweet spot for me) that cost about the same as the 128GB 6 and 7 and is cheaper than the 256GB 8 and much cheaper than the X or Xs at the launch dates.
• There are some massive functional improvements compared to my iPhone 6:
• The battery life is awesome and has nearly doubled. This is very big because a dead iPhone is useless regardless of all it’s features....
• The usable display resolution in points (I am not speaking about this useless pixel debate e.g. „less than 1080p“) is much higher than the iPhone 6,7,8 also is relation to the size of the phone (although it is a lot bigger and heavier).
• The camera and photo processing technology is a big improvement.
• The Xr has 3Gb RAM which makes is more future proof.

 

[jeremiah256]

Thought about the iPhone 8 too when it was released last year but did not buy it because of these reasons:

• The 8 had the same design, screen size and bezels than the iPhone 6 but is much heavier and thicker.
• The 8 looks a bit dated compared to the iPhone X that was released at the same time and did not get it’s main improvements.
• The 8 has still only 2GB RAM which defines how long it last with future IOS versions.
• There is no 128 GB version and the 256GB also comes close to the $1000 region which is too much for this old design (it is even too much for the new design...)
• Although there are changes to the 6 there are few basic functionality improvements.

The Xr in contrast has advantages in my opinion:

• There is a 128GB version (sweet spot for me) that cost about the same as the 128GB 6 and 7 and is cheaper than the 256GB 8 and much cheaper than the X or Xs at the launch dates.
• There are some massive functional improvements compared to my iPhone 6:
• The battery life is awesome and has nearly doubled. This is very big because a dead iPhone is useless regardless of all it’s features....
• The usable display resolution in points (I am not speaking about this useless pixel debate e.g. „less than 1080p“) is much higher than the iPhone 6,7,8 also is relation to the size of the phone (although it is a lot bigger and heavier).
• The camera and photo processing technology is a big improvement.
• The Xr has 3Gb RAM which makes is more future proof.

I'm not against the iPhone XR. I consider myself a power user (which I define as someone who has to use their phone as a computer occasionally to create draft presentations, editing, and research while riding on the train), so not having 3D Touch makes it not an option for me. The bigger the better for me, and I've been resisting it, but I'm going to have to bend the knee and go for the iPhone XS Max.

However, 99% of the people I know are not tech enthusiasts or power users. They keep their phones for three years and primarily use them for content consumption, posting pictures and videos on social media, and gaming. I'd have no problem recommending the iPhone 7 (starting at $450) or iPhone 8 ($600) if they are coming from an iPhone 6 or older. Everything will be better for them, for a cheaper price than when they first purchased their current phone. An iPhone XR is another option I could recommend, but I'd let them know that for their use case, there would be no significant noticeable difference between an iPhone 7 and an iPhone XR, except for the price and form factor.

 

[MacLappy]

99% of the people I know are not tech enthusiasts or power users. They keep their phones for three years and primarily use them for content consumption, posting pictures and videos on social media, and gaming. I'd have no problem recommending the iPhone 7 (starting at $450) or iPhone 8 ($600) if they are coming from an iPhone 6 or older. Everything will be better for them, for a cheaper price than when they first purchased their current phone. An iPhone XR is another option I could recommend, but I'd let them know that for their use case, there would be no significant noticeable difference between an iPhone 7 and an iPhone XR, except for the price and form factor.

I don’t know... arguably the bigger screen, louder volume, better stereo separation, makes for a better media consumption device. Even coming for a plus size iPhone it is quite noticeably, much less the standard iPhone version.

The new processor keeps frame rates high and temperature low while gaming. Gaming session last much longer due to the above mention efficient processor, huge battery and also sensible screen choice. It even runs Fortnite at 60 fps which makes the game incredible smooth and the graphics just gorgeous.

Not to mention, it’s ability to capture drastically better photos and videos. On top of all day battery life.

My question is how is this not significance better than an iPhone 7/8 for and I quote “content consumption, posting pictures and videos on social media, and gaming.”

No offence intended, just really trying to understand why you would feel that these tangible benefits don’t matter.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I enjoy the bigger screen in my 8+ but when it comes to media consumption nothing beats an iPad. If I’m going away with work or sitting at home then the iPad is my main device for browsing, watching videos etc. The iPhone is convenient and fills the gap though.

The XR is a great phone and I’m sure it’ll be the the most popular line Apple offer going forward. It appeals to a wider segment of the market due to price and has most of the features of the more expensive iPhones. However it’s size is rather large and is undoubtedly putting some off. I didn’t opt for it because I fancied a dual lens and that has come in very useful when photographing my children. The lack of peek and pop was also an off putter for me personally. It’s great some of the functionality of 3DTouch was brought across though.

It would be nice if Apple could consider the following next year:

* Full 3DTouch
* Dual lens camera
* Smaller size additional option (like previous releases)

I know adding these will put people off further buying the XS but I think this is the line that offers the best value and is more attractive to the consumer all round. Even better, offer the XS for £799 lol, yeah I know, no chance!

 

[bluecoast]

Personally, I wanted a 4.7 inch phone replacement and the XR is too big for me.

I’m puzzled why they didn’t release a version of the XR in a smaller size, especially as there’s as much 4.7 inch phones out there as plus sized ones (if not more).

It’s a pretty thick phone, so proportionally, maybe the design didn’t work.

If so, roll on fall 2019 when thinner lcds are incoming, apparently.

And P.S.:

3D Touch is definitely going.

Not enough people use it, it makes the screens harder and more expensive to manufacture, pushes up the cost of AppleCare and out of warranty screen replacements (to consumers).

It’s only still around as Apple obviously made an investment / commitment to set up production lines to produce iPhone OLED screens with 3D Touch in them and I’d bet it was a two year commitment.

I’d not be surprised if fall 2019 sees the iPhone XS discontinued (when presumably Apple will be delivering OLED iPhone screens with no 3D Touch in them.

 

[I7guy]

Iphone 7 will be discontinued next year. iPhone 8 will be bottom tech. I can see an xr+. 3DT isn’t going away.

Pure speculation.

 

[Radon87000]

Its got a cheaper LCD at $800 and the Note 9 is the same price WITH an OLED display and dual cameras. Anyone who wants an iPhone should just get a XS or XS Max for the real iPhone experience instead of a hobbled one with the XR

 

[StellarVixen]

Too much compromises, IMO. LCD has no place on $700+ phone in 2018. Also, one camera only, while others in this price range have two at least?

That phone shall be $500. XS is much better purchase.


(I do not know if I shall buy XS right now, because I have heard that Apple will kill 3D touch next year. I like 3D Touch too much I wanted to keep my X for a little longer, but...).

 

[44267547]

Too much compromises, IMO. LCD has no place on $700+ phone in 2018. Also, one camera only, while others in this price range have two at least?

That phone shall be $500. XS is much better purchase.


(I do not know if I shall buy XS right now, because I have heard that Apple will kill 3D touch next year. I like 3D Touch too much I wanted to keep my X for a little longer, but...).

3D Touch can be somewhat implemented through software as it does with the XR, and that could eliminate them having to use any hardware for 3D Touch for future iPhones, which would be a cost savings method. As a 3D Touch myself, I find the benefits of retaining it, however, I could see Apple doing this, but time will tell.