iPhone 5s Reportedly Outselling iPhone 5c Two-to-One Since Launch

[iSee]

Is anyone surprised? I know I was claiming it to be a flop. If it's not selling better than the iPhone 4S at this time last year then why bother making a whole new device instead of just demoting the iPhone 5?

Oh Apple. Either you're losing your way or you've created another device to join the G4 Cube, ping, and many other failed apple devices.

These numbers don't actually tell us if it's selling better than the 4S... It's just a ratio... Both the 5s and 5c could be selling like hotcakes, or both could be doing poorly. The ratio doesn't tell us which.

You can pretty much read into these numbers anything you want because for one to go up, the other has to go down. With no actual numbers there's no way to get a perspective.

 

[Shanpdx]

Still iPhone 5 on stock/sale

another reason iPhone 5 still in stock on many places.

 

[Xerotech]

Surprised it is even doing that good.

 

[shortie8512]

As many have already said, it comes down to price. It's all part of the great Apple rip off:

5c in USA (pre-sales tax) : ~£344
5c in UK (pre-sales tax) : ~£390

If Apple priced it like for like, then with sales tax the 5c would come in at about £419 instead of £469. That £50 would probably make a big difference in 5c sales in the UK.

I actually prefer the 5c to 5s, but at its current price I'll stick to my existing non-smartphone!

 

[Rogifan]

My guess for the slumping 5C sales is because its basically a repackaged iPhone 5. The vast majority of iPhone buyers now are people doing upgrades from the previous iPhone and that being the 5. I surely wouldn't want to waste an upgrade discount going from the 5 to the 5C if its almost identical...just repackaged. I also believe the second half of that problem is the price like others have stated.

Slumping sales? Slumping compared to what? And who said the 5C was meant for 5 owners? How many people outside of tech geeks replace their phone every year? Wouldn't the 5C be more geared towards 4/4S owners or switchers?

 

[neoelectronaut]

New model phone sells more than last year's model?

Is anyone surprised?

 

[Squilly]

Really doesn't surprise me. Prime example:
Galaxy S4 and S4 Mini. Which sold better? Galaxy S4. Why? Flagship.

 

[Chatter]

No not really, with all the market potential in China and India, an iPhone 5C priced right should sell like hotcakes...

Priced right => lower priced? In that case it would mean lower margins.
Lower margins => lower stock price. So fire Tim Cook.

Cant win either way.

 

[SBacklin]

Everyone complaining that the 5c is a failure doesn't understand what Apple is doing. The 5c was never meant to be a "cheap" iPhone. Apple is simply following the formula that has worked for them for years, by releasing last year's model for $100 cheaper. Only this time, Apple revamped the iPhone 5 to improve margins.

The 5c is not a "cheap" iPhone, it is the iPhone 5 wrapped in plastic with better margins. Apple's plan is working perfectly.

If you want a cheap phone, stop posting on Apple rumor sites and go buy a Android, they have plenty of cheap models.

Apple is NEVER going to release a cheap iPhone! So stop asking.

The problem with what you're saying is that the 5C has been marketed from the get-go as the 2nd prong in the fork in the road for iPhone upgrades. Before, all upgrades were single, 3G to 3GS to 4 to 4S to 5. This is where the split happens, you can now either go 5 to 5S or to 5C. That's how its marketed. You have never seen Apple hype up a demoted model when a newer one came out. If what you are saying WAS really Apple's plan, then they totally failed on its portrayal. They have made it seem like the 5C is some kind of upgrade when it really isn't. The 5S is the real upgrade but, their portrayal and marketing doesn't show that. So even if you're right, you can't really blame people for thinking the 5C was supposed to be some "cheap" model.

 

[Rogifan]

Well put. And I think the 5c is actually a much better value now than the 4s was last year because the 5 was a much bigger leap from the 4s than the 5s is from the 5 (or 5c).

I just don't get why this is news. Of course a flagship device is going to outsell a non flagship device. I'm sure the Galaxy S4 is outselling the Galaxy Mini and Mega, and probably the Note too. Is the Note a failure because it isn't selling at the same rate as the S4?

 

[Benjamins]

IMO this is why Apple doesn't need "cheap".

well it's not like they don't "need" cheap.

It's the 5c is in an awkward spot where it is not cheap enough to be considered cheap.

 

[Adelphos33]

Honestly this seems like the correct split (though it may be inflated in the short term due to lack of 5s supply). It may approach something like 60/40 over time, but why is this good or bad? 5c is outselling the 4s of last year, and overall sales are up a bit, so this is a win for Apple.

That said, if people expected the 5c to sell millions of incremental phones, this may be a bit of a disappointment.

That said, in the critics' mind, what should the percentage be?

 

[SBacklin]

Slumping sales? Slumping compared to what? And who said the 5C was meant for 5 owners? How many people outside of tech geeks replace their phone every year? Wouldn't the 5C be more geared towards 4/4S owners or switchers?

Good point and "slumping sales" was not a good phrase to use. The 5C has had decent sales that even I wouldn't call slumping. LOL. Bad choice of words on my part. I was thinking about general expectations for the 5C and the 5C now selling where they thought it would, given the constant "in stock" thats being reported.

 

[Adelphos33]

I think it looks pretty awful In person like it's constantly wrapped in a cheap case. The 5 is much more classier in terms of aesthetics. .

The white and yellow iPhone 5cs actually rival the 5s in terms of "classiness" IMO. Pink, blue, green less so.

 

[Shanpdx]

$550 is not cheap

for guys who keeps saying...

Apple definitely did not address entry level iPhone price point.

Apple cares about the bottom line not market share same as Mac. they got money so they are just fine.

 

[xyextra]

Hmm... Actually that sounds like the 5c is a success?

I doubt that the 4S:5 sales were 1:2 at the 5 launch? If the 5c at all improved things there (it's really mostly just the previous phone model) and it has a better profit margin than the 4S, that's good for Apple in two ways.

According to this article, last year 5 68%, 4s 23%, 4s:5 sales were closed to 1:3, so 5c is actually doing better than 4s did last year.

 

[calaverasgrande]

maybe if the price had been $50 cheaper and the colors better?
At one point I considered the 5C. But when I saw the colors in person there wasn't one that I could talk myself into.
They all look like the kind of candy you would find at your grandparents house.

 

[gnasher729]

As many have already said, it comes down to price. It's all part of the great Apple rip off:

5c in USA (pre-sales tax) : ~£344
5c in UK (pre-sales tax) : ~£390

If Apple priced it like for like, then with sales tax the 5c would come in at about £419 instead of £469. That £50 would probably make a big difference in 5c sales in the UK.

I actually prefer the 5c to 5s, but at its current price I'll stick to my existing non-smartphone!

Consumer protection laws don't come for free.

 

[Benjamins]

I just don't get why this is news. Of course a flagship device is going to outsell a non flagship device. I'm sure the Galaxy S4 is outselling the Galaxy Mini and Mega, and probably the Note too. Is the Note a failure because it isn't selling at the same rate as the S4?

I think the initial reaction to the 5c/5s introduction was, 5c is going to be the more popular iPhone down the road.

http://daringfireball.net/2013/09/the_iphone_5s_and_5c

With the iPhone 5C Apple may well have created what will prove to be the most popular smartphone in the world, based almost entirely on year-old technology, distinguished only by its colorful plastic casing — yet still sold at premium prices compared to the rest of the industry. Not bad.

 

[kenosecon]

According to this article, last year 5 68%, 4s 23%, 4s:5 sales were closed to 1:3, so 5c is actually doing better than 4s did last year.

yep apple big win... but these forum people don't know how to do the math

 

[CJM]

£150 cheaper and maybe they'd sell a few more units.

The 5C must be cheap as balls to produce, profit margins are no doubt up.

 

[JulesK]

5C at $0 or $50 is great for many folks

But I like the 5C. I prefer the curved case to the square slab of the 4-4S-5-5S. I like the bright colours better than the faded black, tired silver or the <ugh> pale gold. I also like a plastic case that will keep it's colour and absorb some damage rather than a metal case with anodize that will scratch off. If I were going to get an iPhone it would be the 5C.

I can understand why the 5S is outselling the 5C (I have a 5S myself), but the 5C is a great phone and fills an important market if resellers keep the price down to $50 or lower (maybe free, soon) for the 16GB model. (The $100 price difference between the 5C and the 5S, before the discounting started, was ridiculous; I suspect Apple always intended the 5C to be discounted quickly.) There are lots of folks for whom the 5C is all the smartphone they will ever need; we just got two for my parents and one for my in-laws, all for $145. A $200 5S didn't make sense for them, but a $50/$45 5C did. I added them to my Mobile Share plan, as they will use minimal data, so the per month cost is reasonable (in the context of high data costs generally).

Although the cameras on smartphones should continue to get better, they are so good now that the marginal gains from each new generation of phone for undemanding users isn't that great. The jump from the 4 to the 4S was a big jump up for me, but the jump from the 4S to the 5S has been less compelling (but still nice). My parents wouldn't notice the difference between the 5 and 5S, and I suspect a lot of folks will be more than fine with the 5C.

What that means to Apple in the long run probably isn't that great, because at some point, people are going to stop stampeding for the newest iPhone if they don't do something radical to improve them. $200 for 48GB of memory is ridiculous.

 

[petvas]

Apple's strategy seems not to be working as expected. Why? Actually the answer is pretty easy. People expect from Apple only high end devices, so most potential customers prefer spending 100$ more to get the much better 5S. Apple should make the 5C at least 200$ cheaper than the 5S, otherwise it is a tough sell. What would help is more differentiation in specs from the iPhone 5. The 5C is basically the 5 with a plastic shell and a better FaceTime camera.

 

[prehnra]

This is OK

This is OK. People have choices. The cost conscious people are buying the 4S (which has great margins for Apple, by the way), the people who want the "fun" design by the 5c, and the people who want the newest, and/or most elegant design get the 5s.

It will be interesting to see what happens next year. I think the "push down" approach to the model line up could be over– next year won't necessarily bring a 6 in the top spot, 5s in the middle and 5c for free.

This is informing my predictions for the iPad line too. Not expecting to see the 5 occupy the second highest point in the lineup. Expecting iPad 5 (Retina, obviously), some non-Retina iPad in the #2 spot (maybe not the iPad 2– but something relatively cheap to make), and Retina and non-Retina Minis rounding it out. My second guess would be mostly the same, but with one less model (either dropping the non-Retina iPad Mini and/or non-Retina full-sized iPad).

 

[BaldiMac]

Apple's strategy seems not to be working as expected. Why? Actually the answer is pretty easy. People expect from Apple only high end devices, so most potential customers prefer spending 100$ more to get the much better 5S. Apple should make the 5C at least 200$ cheaper than the 5S, otherwise it is a tough sell. What would help is more differentiation in specs from the iPhone 5. The 5C is basically the 5 with a plastic shell and a better FaceTime camera.

Whose expectations are you talking about? I'm pretty sure Apple is happy that more people are choosing to spend more money on the 5S.