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iPhone 15 and 15 Plus Proving Less Popular With Buyers This Year

gatorvet96 said:
Shows that Apple is very successful in making people go up the product ladder to more expensive SKUs. It is very intentional and no one does a better job of that marketing scheme.
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If you've already decided that you have to get an iPhone, then there's not a lot of sense in getting anything but a Pro or Pro Max.

The $799 and $899 mid-tier iPhones are only good upgrades and decent value compared to last year's $799 and $899 models.

In the context of all iPhone models and all smartphone models, only the $999+ Pro and Pro Max iPhones offer something contemporary and decent value, even if they are overpriced.

iPhone SE 2022 is even worse and bordering on a scam. Consumers are just baited by the $429 but don't grasp how little smartphone/$ they're actually getting. Awful product.
 
erikkfi said:
Why are you arguing with me? Look at the charts.

First let's restate your argument, which is that the charts show "that Apple is very successful in making people go up the product ladder to more expensive SKUs."

That is not what the data show.

Q1 2023: Pro+Pro Max = 46% market share
Q1 2024: Pro+Pro Max = 45% market share

There was in fact a statistically insignificant decline for the Pro devices.

My argument is the opposite of yours: quarter-over-quarter there were more sales of lower-end devices below the standard range (iPhone 14 in 2023, and 15 in 2024). Let's look again at the data.

Q1 2023: All iPhones below iPhone 14 = 25% market share
Q1 2024: All iPhones below iPhone 15 = 32% market share
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I'm not suggesting apple sells more Pro than cheaper phones. I's saying that when most people don't "need" pro features they still amount to the 2 highest selling models of all of the iPhones. There are 7 cheaper models for that 65% to the 2 models at 45%. That is similar to Android phones were an even larger percentage of their sales are cheaper phones. Apple simply does a better job of getting flagship sales sold. Much of that is due to ladder marketing.
 
sw1tcher said:
The pale/faded-looking colors of the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus (left side) are also a step backwards from the more vibrant colors of the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus (right side), IMO.

View attachment 2373916
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Yes!

And these press photos really don't convey just how pale the iPhone 15 colors are. They're bordering on the imperceptible irl. Only the black is acceptable.

I get that there maybe technical reasons because of the materials used for the back and sides. But with colors this washed out, you might as well just offer black and white.

4 extremely desaturated pastels and one grey-ish black is not cutting it.
 
ApplesAreSweet&Sour said:
iPhone SE 2022 is even worse and bordering on a scam. Consumers are just baited by the $429 but don't grasp how little smartphone/$ they're actually getting. Awful product.
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I don't have an SE but a few friends of mine do. And they are perfectly happy with them. I suspect that you assume everyone has the same priorities as you when it comes to smart phones. The SE is just fine for millions of people... just like base Mac Minis, base MacBook Airs and base iPads.
 
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And here I am, debating if I should trade in my iPhone 13 Pro Max for a 15 plus simply for usb-c. (Currently using my iPhone as my almost-only device mirroring to a monitor using Apple TV)
 
mburkhard said:
Quite impressive really! Tim Apple says nobody wants a mini iPhone, yet people still buy it all these years later. Now of course us mini lovers a small group, but I refuse to believe that this group is so small that it's not worth selling a single model for.
If people are desperate enough to by a 13 mini in 2024, such an old phone relatively speaking, it shows that some people REALLY want small. So surely there'd be enough people for a 16 mini this year.

Personally I use my 13 mini and would love to get a newer one this year. But if Apple doesn't want to produce a new mini, then I have nothing I can upgrade to and buy nothing. I'm sure there's a LOT more people in the same situation I am. Holding onto their mini as long as possible due to not having an alternative.
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I still hope Apple will come around and release another small iPhone when the 13 mini goes out of support.
 
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ApplesAreSweet&Sour said:
If you've already decided that you have to get an iPhone, then there's not a lot of sense in getting anything but a Pro or Pro Max.

The $799 and $899 mid-tier iPhones are only good upgrades and decent value compared to last year's $799 and $899 models.

In the context of all iPhone models and all smartphone models, only the $999+ Pro and Pro Max iPhones offer something contemporary and decent value, even if they are overpriced.

iPhone SE 2022 is even worse and bordering on a scam. Consumers are just baited by the $429 but don't grasp how little smartphone/$ they're actually getting. Awful product.
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They aren't overpriced. They are priced exactly the same as all other flagships and arguably superior OS and quality, and certainly resale value. One could argue that the upgraded memory is overpriced, but hundreds of millions pay it, so why would they charge less? Simple economics. "What the market will bear" Are BMW's overpriced? I find, considering how much I can do with my iPhone, that it is of great value for the price.
 
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gatorvet96 said:
Not true. They still sell more of the pro line then lower phones. It just shows people less likely to get the base 15 vs 14 as they aren't worth the extra money for the cheaper phones. Almost 1/2 of all iPhones were the top of the marketing ladder. That is great marketing.
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The point was the 15 hasn't changed the percentage of the high end models at all. I mean unless you are excited about a one percent difference for the pro max and somehow you've read that as growth for the 15 top end models, which is pushing credibility. On the other hand the bottom end has become much more segmented with previous gen phones still taking large chunks of the market. The 15 overall has either held ground or gone backwards depending on the particular model you look at. I'm sure its not what Apple wants to see when they have a sales meeting.
 
DownUnderDan said:
The point was the 15 hasn't changed the percentage of the high end models at all. I mean unless you are excited about a one percent difference for the pro max and somehow you've read that as growth for the 15 top end models, which is pushing credibility. On the other hand the bottom end has become much more segmented with previous gen phones still taking large chunks of the market. The 15 overall has either held ground or gone backwards depending on the particular model you look at. I'm sure its not what Apple wants to see when they have a sales meeting.
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One point would be only Apple knows the real numbers, as they no longer share sales data even to shareholders. These estimates could be flawed.

Anecdotally, I have purchased 100% Pro models /s
 
iPhone is a great product. I think people are looking for more value and new features. Price could come down a bit.
 
abatabia said:
I hate to be that comment but….there’s only so many times you can basically repeat the same phone before you just lose interest and hang onto what you have. My 13PM is still a beast. My 14Pro is very meh, and my desire to even get the 16 is just not there yet.
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Darth Tulhu said:
This is yet one of those things where the existing hardware exceeds the needs of the majority of folks using these devices.

I have an iPhone 12 Pro, and upgrading is pointless.

The better camera, processor, RAM, etc are relatively superfluous to me; I'm not a pro photographer, my emails and texts won't get to me any faster...

Why pay WAY more for a device that won't add any real-world value?
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The camera IS real-world value. At least for me. I love taking pictures of the places I ride, of my cats, of plants around town. I use the camera all the time, and to me this is why nobody is buying the 15 vs. the 15 Pro. Whether one 'needs' it or not, I think the big deciding factor is often going to be the camera. Sometimes people want the best camera for the sake of the best camera, but it'll make a real, noticeable difference for me.

I've still got my iPhone 11 and I'll be upgrading this year. When the time between upgrade cycles is so long, why WOULDN'T I buy the best phone now, knowing that I'm going to keep it for 4-5 years? If we amortize the cost over the lifetime of the phone, buying the more expensive phone now isn't meaningfully more expensive.

When people are on a 2-year upgrade cycle, the lower priced phones look more attractive, because 2 years of change used to be a lot, and your phone would actually start to feel a little sluggish. Now you need 3-5 years to really feel the age of the phone.
 
Recessions affect the poor and mid tier buyers...

For something like a phone, the purchase can be postponed so the mid/poor just don't buy one. The rich may postpone getting that new rolls royce, but there's no point in not getting a new phone for them yet.

Easy enough.
 
JohnRckr said:
Maybe because the only difference between them is dYnaMic iiSlanD

Truly breakthrough tech thank you Tim Apple
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It’s last year’s flagship phone sold as a cheaper option this year. This is by design. The article states that people mostly buy pro phones and last year non-pro phones.

Don’t know what you expected. Any innovation goes to current Pro iPhones. It’s actually quite a success of Tim Cook’s pipeline that we’re able to get las year’s pro for the price of a non-pro. No reason to be bitter about it, it’s all good.
 
Just give me one year of a iPhone mini Titanium, please! You’re already used to thinking you’re going to make something that sells like the 15/max and it not. Just one more time!
 
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Vimy said:
I don't think this is iPhone specific. The economy is just crap. Older iPhones are cheaper.
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Seems iPhone specific to me. Article literally says "iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus." Didn't say anything about the Pro and the Pro Max variants.

I sell phones for AT&T. Apple just had a deal where the iPhone 15 Plus was $10.99/month, and if you upgraded/added a line with another, the 2nd was $5.99/month. Apple wouldn't even consider doing a deal like that with the pro models.
 
ApplesAreSweet&Sour said:
If you've already decided that you have to get an iPhone, then there's not a lot of sense in getting anything but a Pro or Pro Max.

The $799 and $899 mid-tier iPhones are only good upgrades and decent value compared to last year's $799 and $899 models.
Click to expand...

I'm inclined to disagree. Those cheaper models serve as a very good on-ramp to customers that are phone shopping. A $1,000 phone is a much harder sell than an $799 phone to the average consumer.

Once they buy the base model, Apple can get their teeth into them and sell them a Pro when it's time to upgrade. The regular models are pretty nice, how much nicer is the Pro?
 
oofio2461 said:
60hz and last year's chipset, apple has made the base iPhone into a joke even more each year.
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And that joke will continue with the 16 and 16 Plus at 60Hz. The biggest change we seem to be getting this year is the return to the iPhone 11 and 12 appearance with the camera lenses and probably the addition of console gaming with the A18.
 
ProbablyDylan said:
I'm inclined to disagree. Those cheaper models serve as a very good on-ramp to customers that are phone shopping. A $1,000 phone is a much harder sell than an $799 phone to the average consumer.

Once they buy the base model, Apple can get their teeth into them and sell them a Pro when it's time to upgrade. The regular models are pretty nice, how much nicer is the Pro?
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Most people don't really care. They don't pay full price for the phone anyways.

People typically do one of two things:

1) Buy a phone on a tired offer/promo. Example: iPhone 14 for $6/month. iPhone 15 plus for $10.99.
2) Trade in their phone, so the phone carrier pays for some or most of it.

It's pretty rare someone just plops down $830 or $1,000 for a phone.
 
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