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iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Mactech20 said:
The real question: Will someone try to justify bringing back the iPhone mini in this thread?
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Apple might as well bring it back for 2 generations. Their attempt at successors (iPhone Plus and iPhone Air) haven't panned out.

There are obviously people out there who like the mini, Plus, and Air, so a solution is to rotate every 2 years to each.

iPhone 18 mini, iPhone 19 mini (or 20 mini as it's rumored they'll be skipping 19 like how they skipped 9).

The next 2 generations will be the iPhone Plus, so iPhone 21 Plus and iPhone 22 Plus.

The next 2 generations after that will be iPhone (23) Air and (24) Air.

This satisfies those niche buyers.
 
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Mactech20 said:
The real question: Will someone try to justify bringing back the iPhone mini in this thread?
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I'm still on my 13 mini because I know there won't be a new one in the foreseeable future. Love the size, but it's showing its age now.
As a comment... I renewed my cell phone contract in January -do it every 2 years- and with each renewal, I get a free phone of my choice. I qualified for an iPhone 16 (17 wasn't out at the time) and gave it to my daughter. Great phone, the 17 seems very similar to it, and do understand and believe it's selling well. Seen many Pro models around, too. Especially the orange one. Next renewal, I'm pretty sure I'll be choosing an 18 and keep it to myself.
 
arcite said:
I’m a mac guy….but iphones just don’t excite me, the only reason why I’d get one is for specific iOS apps, which some companies focus on. But otherwise, I’d go android all day long —- it’s just so much more open and customizable. Samsung also puts out nice phones….and they’re cheaper than Apple.
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Do you not use the Apple eco system? That is a big part of being a "Mac Person" in my opinion. No judgement, use what is best for you, just find it curious to be a Mac guy but not use an Apple Phone that syncs and works so well with a Mac.

The base iPhone 17 is the best spec'd base phone Apple has had in a while. That would have been perfect for me, I was using a base iPhone 13 for years happily. The only thing I wanted in an upgrade was a bigger screen. With this round of phones that basically meant I had to go with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Other than the size I would have happy gotten the iPhone 17.
 
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jgdeschamps said:
I'm still on my 13 mini because I know there won't be a new one in the foreseeable future. Love the size, but it's showing its age now.
As a comment... I renewed my cell phone contract in January -do it every 2 years- and with each renewal, I get a free phone of my choice. I qualified for an iPhone 16 (17 wasn't out at the time) and gave it to my daughter. Great phone, the 17 seems very similar to it, and do understand and believe it's selling well. Seen many Pro models around, too. Especially the orange one. Next renewal, I'm pretty sure I'll be choosing an 18 and keep it to myself.
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Not sure how the 13 mini compares to the base iPhone 13. I upgraded from that to a 17 Pro Max and can say I don't see that many improvements that are really noticeable in day to day life. Safari and Youtube load just as fast as it did on my 13. Sure the screen is nicer, but the 13 was not a bad screen and I had no issue with that. Obviously the camera is a big improvement, I do like that for taking pictures at work and how with these lenses I can take real up close shots if I need to show a client something. Other than that phones have gotten so powerful that for base regular use I don't think the increase in speed is really noticeable. If the Mini still works for you I would just stick with that. Work pays for my phone otherwise I would have just stuck with the 13.
 
the future said:
This is not all it is, though. The Pros are killing it in sales, too.
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Nah, most of the heavy lifting is the base iPhone 17 by Chinese customers.

To put things in perspective, the base model remains back ordered by 5-7 days even today. It's 3 months post-launch. This is iPhone X level of demand.

The iPhone Air obviously received no demand while 17 Pro/Max tapered out about a month ago.

1764699302787.png
 
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MacRumors said:


Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC.

iphone-17-cyber.jpg

Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple.

Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to grow 1.5 percent, primarily because of the success of the iPhone.

Back in October, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple is expecting to set a new all-time revenue record in the December quarter, and a best-ever revenue record for the iPhone. Apple believes overall revenue will grow 10 to 12 percent year-over-year.

idc-smartphone-sales-2025.jpg

Apple has seen strong interest in the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro models, even though the iPhone Air hasn't performed as expected.

Next year, Apple plans to change its iPhone release timelines. The high-end iPhone Fold and the iPhone 18 Pro models will come out in September 2026 as usual, but the lower-priced iPhone 18 will be held until spring 2027.

IDC predicts that the decision will drop iOS shipments by 4.2 percent in 2026, while a global memory shortage will lead to supply constraints and price increases across the smartphone market. Total global smartphone shipments could decline 0.9 percent in 2026 due to the supply issues and Apple's lineup changes.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records
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I currently use an iPhone 16e and plan to upgrade to iPhone 17e next year. I hope Apple is taking notes that one major improvement that's 60Hz to 120Hz display upgrade made many people buy the base iPhone 17 model and I hope they will bring it to iPhone 17e as well and I'm sure it will boost sales.
 
JPack said:
Nah, most of the heavy lifting is the base iPhone 17 by Chinese customers.

To put things in perspective, the base model remains back ordered by 5-7 days even today. It's 3 months post-launch. This is iPhone X level of demand.

The iPhone Air obviously received no demand while 17 Pro/Max tapered out about a month ago.

View attachment 2584358
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It‘s well known that Pro sales are always front-loaded (i.e. have their biggest pecentage of sales in the first few weeks), so this data point of yours is not so convincing. We‘ll have to wait for the next official quarterly results. If the base 17 was actually all of the success story here, the average revenue per phone would have to be (well) lower than before.
 
hakobavetisyan said:
I currently use an iPhone 16e and plan to upgrade to iPhone 17e next year. I hope Apple is taking notes that one major improvement that's 60Hz to 120Hz display upgrade made many people buy the base iPhone 17 model and I hope they will bring it to iPhone 17e as well and I'm sure it will boost sales.
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Unfortunately, no chance because that's too many steps to jump. It doesn't even have Dynamic Island yet. Review the progression from iPhone 15 to 17.
 
wonderings said:
Do you not use the Apple eco system? That is a big part of being a "Mac Person" in my opinion. No judgement, use what is best for you, just find it curious to be a Mac guy but not use an Apple Phone that syncs and works so well with a Mac.

The base iPhone 17 is the best spec'd base phone Apple has had in a while. That would have been perfect for me, I was using a base iPhone 13 for years happily. The only thing I wanted in an upgrade was a bigger screen. With this round of phones that basically meant I had to go with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Other than the size I would have happy gotten the iPhone 17.
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I have a MacBook and iPhone, and I don't use the Apple ecosystem. Need to keep a foot out in case things start going south. I had an Apple Watch too, but gave up on them earlier this year.

thumbnail_IMG_0005.jpg
 
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jz0309 said:
Wonder why that is???
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Because none of them are tech enthusiasts, and I don't work in near the tech industry.

GlassHollow said:
Haven’t seen it on mine.
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Glad to hear that it's not everywhere, but it is to me as said screenshot shows. I should add that it only happens with iMessage conversations. SMS/RCS don't have the issue.

Unfortunately that's a company-provided phone, so I can't reset it or upgrade to a beta.
 
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WarmWinterHat said:
I've seen one iPhone 17 (a silver Pro Max) in person since it was released. No one around me seems to care much about upgrading.
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Serious question. Most people rock a case, so how would you really know in day-to-day life?

For example, I use no case so it's obvious, but multiple of my coworkers have the 17 with cases and if they did not specifically show me, I wouldn't know.
 
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now i see it said:
There’s nothing revolutionary in any of the iPhone 17 models. It’s business as usual with another incremental iPhone update.
What may be driving the increased sales is simply … it’s time for a lot of people to get newer devices (because planned obsolescence is built into the OS).
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  • iPhone 17 has a larger 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen, vs. 6.1-inch on iPhone 16.
  • The display in iPhone 17 supports ProMotion adaptive refresh (1-120 Hz). On iPhone 16 the refresh rate is fixed at 60 Hz — the jump to 120 Hz makes scrolling and animations feel much smoother.
  • Brightness & display protection also got a boost: iPhone 17 peaks at about 3000 nits brightness (vs ~2000 nits on iPhone 16), and it uses a newer “Ceramic Shield 2” glass/coat offering better scratch resistance.
Performance & Storage
  • iPhone 17 runs on Apple’s newer A19 chip, replacing the A18 in iPhone 16 — meaning snappier performance, better efficiency, and improved support for AI-based features.
  • The base storage tier was bumped: iPhone 17 starts at 256 GB vs iPhone 16’s 128 GB. Many heavier users will appreciate that, depending on storage needs.
Camera Improvements
  • Rear cameras: While both have a 48 MP main sensor, iPhone 17 upgrades the secondary (ultrawide) to 48 MP rather than the 12 MP in iPhone 16. That means sharper, clearer wide-angle and macro-style shots.
  • Front camera — selfie / video call: iPhone 17 uses an 18 MP “Center Stage” camera, replacing the 12 MP one from iPhone 16. The Center Stage tech helps auto-frame you in video calls and supports more flexible selfie/video shooting.
Battery Life & Charging
  • Battery life is improved: iPhone 17 supports up to ~30 hours video playback versus 22 hours on iPhone 16.
  • Charging is faster: iPhone 17 supports faster wired charging (with higher-wattage adapter) than iPhone 16. Wireless charging (MagSafe / Qi) support remains.
Connectivity & Other Features
  • iPhone 17 upgrades wireless connectivity: it has a new internal “N1” wireless chip and supports Bluetooth 6 (vs Bluetooth 5.3 on iPhone 16).
  • It ships with iOS 26, though iPhone 16 remains upgradable — meaning 17 starts with the very latest features out of the box.
Same price. If you needed a new phone what’s not to like?
 
WarmWinterHat said:
The 17 Pro series are pretty obvious, with the giant continental shelf on the top.

As for the regular phone, I couldn't tell, but I don't see many of the standard model.
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I guess you are getting a better look at the back of phones than I do. Unless someone is case free or in conversation with me, I wouldn't notice.

With that said, I have an Air and only know one other person with it, but that is because they showed me. My guess is I am surrounded by people with the 17.
 
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mattopotamus said:
I guess you are getting a better look at the back of phones than I do. Unless someone is case free or in conversation with me, I wouldn't notice.

With that said, I have an Air and only know one other person with it, but that is because they showed me. My guess is I am surrounded by people with the 17.
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Sure, I'm just referring to friends, family and coworkers. I don't pay attention to people out and about.
 
the future said:
It‘s well known that Pro sales are always front-loaded (i.e. have their biggest pecentage of sales in the first few weeks), so this data point of yours is not so convincing. We‘ll have to wait for the next official quarterly results. If the base 17 was actually all of the success story here, the average revenue per phone would have to be (well) lower than before.
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Since day one, every news story about spectacular demand has talked about China and base iPhone 17.

It's pretty simple. The base 17 is eligible for a 15% consumption rebate. If Chinese buyers wanted a really good camera or a foldable, they wouldn't buy 17 Pro/Max, but rather Huawei Pura or Mate. The base 17 has been back ordered for weeks since day one because regular, mainstream consumers are buying it.

1764700510122.png



 
JPack said:
Who would have guessed? 256GB storage, ProMotion, 6.3-inch display, no price increase. Basically almost everything the Pro model comes with. Of course the base iPhone 17 is the leader.

The reason why iPhone 17 Plus doesn't exist is because it would threaten 17 Pro Max. The Air only exists as an attempt to raise ASPs by offering less features for $999, not because there's hidden demand for thin phones.
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iPhone Air is a success just like the G4 Cube and Trash Can MacPro, those products are just misunderstood. /s
 
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Harthag said:
I don’t understand the hate for iOS 26. My 17PM has been flawless and I’ve experienced no bugs in my daily use since launch.
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I don’t have any issues on my 14PM either. But, to be fair, using the launch phone for an OS version as a barometer isn’t the best anecdotal evidence.
 
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