iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

[Anonymous123]

Why would anyone pay for a new device when it lacks innovation, especially when the carrier deals and trade-in values are so bad? It probably doesn’t even have anything to do with Apple Intelligence being delayed, as I’d bet most people don’t even know it’s shipping without it.

The majority who are buying these are probably those with phones from older generations in need of an upgrade or enthusiasts who upgrade every year. Therefore they would have upgraded anyway. Anyone else is probably skipping due to reasons previously mentioned.

As a side note, I feel these phones are going in the wrong direction — getting bigger and heavier rather than smaller and lighter, but I realize I’m likely in the minority with that opinion. For me, that alone detracts me from making an upgrade.

 

[macsummerside]

iPhone 16 Pro weight has increased too much for me. More interested in regular 16 or 15 Pro (to replace my iPhone 13) due to weight.

It's all a trade-off. Probably bigger/better battery in 16 Pro (and slightly bigger screen obv). The weight difference compared with 15 Pro is pretty much negligible. But I hear you....to each their own!

 

[Chungry]

For better or for worse, consumers have become conditioned to expect a bit of novelty with every upgrade cycle, and Apple's recent hardware revisions have been very iterative. It's been nearly a half-decade since the last major design overhaul of the iPhone. (On the Android side, even though foldables are still a niche category, their over-representation in marketing materials contributes to the impression that more risks are being taken elsewhere in the smartphone space.)

I also feel like Apple's insistence upon "premium" muted colors for the Pro models is leaving money on the table. I wish they would extend some of the lovely jewel tones from the base models across the entire line. I understand the need for demarcation between the two tiers, but year after year of dull metallic finishes makes shopping for the new Pros so boring. I just went for the natural titanium finish again this year because none of the other options felt captivating.

(Aside: The fact that Apple touted the Series 10 Apple Watch's "all-new" design, even though said design reads as virtually indistinguishable from the previous design, makes me wonder if they're stuck in a bit of a groupthink rut. I believe part of the reason the Ultra has sold so well is because it felt like Apple being a bit playful—within Apple's somewhat conservative bounds, of course. Apple's industrial design has felt a bit joyless and utilitarian in recent years. Impeccable, tasteful, airless.)

Well said, when they talked about the “all-new” watch design and showed off the video where it’s basically the same thing I groaned. Even for Apple that’s stretching credulity. It’s the same old design. Which is why the Ultra sells so well. Which makes it all the more curious why they don’t update the Ultra. Talk about leaving money on the table. The 10 should never get features the Ultra doesn’t have already.

 

[CrysisDeu]

I did not upgrade to the new Apple Watch which I thought I would for sure out of spite. Apple now disgusts me.

 

[CatalinApple]

I'm happy with my iPhone 13 Pro. When Apple decides to really step up their game and stops withholding hardware advancement and really do all their best, I am going to buy a new iPhone. Until then I'll just replace the battery because is far cheaper than a new iPhone and it helps the environment as well.

 

[Velin]

I wonder how useful a mono-tasking button is for camera. The interface Apple showed off is going to confuse old people.

Very useful. iPhone cameras and video is stellar. Today, the iPhone (or Pixel/Samsung) is the only video and camera device for a big percentage of people. Having a dedicated single-tap button — which should also properly orient the iPhone when shooting — is a very nice thing to have.

 

[macsummerside]

My main reason to upgrade is the 15 Pro has a faulty Bluetooth modem that Apple has been promising to fix since launch. They sent me a replacement with the same issue and then Support said iOS 18 would fix it. It has not.

What is the exact fault and does it affect all 15 Pros, or just yours?

 

[minik]

I pre-ordered mine as always. Anyhow, I don't really read into these report too much.

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

When people start receiving Genmoji and Playground images from their friends, sales will accelerate. GenAI at the OS level with privacy guarantees remains under-appreciated.

 

[musicmachine]

The 15 and 16 remind me of the 6 and 6s. Same phone , one is the beta the other the finished product

 

[bradman83]

Every phone is indeed an improvement. But it's time Apple consider putting the phones on a 2 year upgrade cycle and staggering the Pro and Regular. That way you keep demand yearly but you split it out. Idk. This one has been disappointing though. It feels as if they have started to give up on certain things. It's crazy it's taken this long and we still won't even have a fully fixed Siri yet. Still now affordable HomePod with a screen which there is demand for especially if they want HomeKit to take off.

Apple follows the market, and every other smartphone manufacturer releases upgrades to their flagships on an annual basis with similar iterative updates. It's like getting spec bumps on Macs, you're not expected to want to upgrade your Mac every year because of new features or better performance, but upgrading every few years will allow those iterative updates to build up into something more substantial.

 

[golfnut1982]

At this point, I'm keeping my iPhone 14 Pro out of spite.

C'Mon Man, I'm trying to retire on my Apple Stock 😂😂

 

[frownface]

Yeah sure Blame China for the lack of sales. With their economy like it is I highly doubt they're gonna be spending a lot on new phones, as like with the rest of the world as well. Apple is failing in their product lines and high prices, they should have lowered everything to capture the market from competitors, they could easily afford it and make it up on volume. but they are greedy and singular minded and lost the scope of the market.

China phone shipments are still going up yoy.

China Smartphone Market Share: Quarterly - Counterpoint

China’s smartphone shipments rose 2% YoY in Q1 2024, staying on track to low-digit annual growth.

www.counterpointresearch.com

But they're not buying as many iphones; they're choosing to buy other stuff instead. Whether it's due to price, bad press, or actual innovatin. Whatever apple is doing isn't cutting it

 

[AustinIllini]

I still miss my purple phone

 

[johnbalash]

Not surprised, there weren’t many changes to the phone. Maybe they switch to every two years.

 

[holmesf]

I am surprised that the regular PRO sales have dropped the greatest by 27%. I thought the added 5x zoom would have captured some upgraders.

I think it's that 5x zoom was already available on 15 Pro Max, so if you really cared about that feature you might have already sprung for that particular model.

 

[mathiasinthe314]

I waffled back and forth from the moment I finished watching the keynote until I pressed the order button at 2 minutes after preorders opened. It was such a marginal improvement over my 15PM. At the end of the day, I’m on IUP and figured why not. The extra battery life and slightly larger screen will be cool and the M1 beating performance is noteworthy, but I also know I could’ve been happy with my 15PM another year. FOMO I guess.

 

[CloneBB]

Kuo is wrong on most of his predictions and stats.

 

[jz0309]

No. Apple revenue went up Last year with iPhone 15 holiday quarter. apple had second best quarter ever for iPhone.

You can replace 15 with 13. . 13 was best ever quarter for iPhone. And yet , every year this is the garbage analysts put out.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-tells-suppliers-demand-iphone-13-lineup-has-weakened-bloomberg-news-2021-12-02/

Earnings announcement eo Oct/early Nov will show some trend, eo Jan/early Feb 2025 will tell the real story, until then: long live rumors!

 

[Ronald Reagan]

Apple needed to wow with the camera, like bringing the telephoto lens (in addition ro the wide angle lens). Adding a button here, thinning the bezel ever so slightly there and and the other MINOR incremental improvements just doesn’t cut it. Not a compelling case IMO for someone who’s on the fence. Apple holding back?

 

[now i see it]

Sales are lower than EXPECTED.
So somebody guessed wrong. The sky is falling!

 

[creediddy]

Right now iPhone’s are not compelling enough to upgrade as the 3-4 year old phones work perfectly good for most people’s needs.

 

[jz0309]

Well, the higher price has a ton to do with it.

What higher price? Last I checked prices are the same as a year, 2 years ago…

 

[nutritious]

At this point, I'm keeping my iPhone 14 Pro out of spite.

I think, and excuse me if i am misunderstanding you, but being mad at apple for not giving a groundbreaking update is a reflection of you thinking some groundbreaking product will finally give your life some more excitement and meaning. it won't. there is no salvation in technology.

 

[Flamingdeathbolts]

I bet Verizon had some to do with this dip. 2 years ago they stopped offering 24month financing and it’s now 36month. Usually I and other relatives would upgrade now but have 12 more months to pay off on the iPhone 14Pro