iPhone 5s Tops Sales Charts at Major U.S. Carriers as iPhone 5c and Galaxy S4 Battle for Second

[MacRumors]

In a note published to clients late last week, a survey by investment research firm Canaccord Genuity (via Fortune) revealed that the new iPhone 5s was the top-selling phone at all four major U.S. carriers in September, with the lower-cost iPhone 5c second in sales at AT&T and Sprint. The Samsung Galaxy S4 placed ahead of the iPhone 5c in sales at Verizon and T-Mobile, with the firm attributing strong sales of Samsung's flagship device to price cuts initiated in June.

"We believe these price cuts combined with Samsung's aggressive marketing and effective advertising campaign for its existing and new high-tier smartphones, such as the recently-launched Galaxy Note 3, could potentially help Samsung reduce high-tier smartphone share losses to Apple in October despite the strong iPhone 5s and 5c demand."

In September, Apple announced that sales of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c surpassed nine million during their launch weekend, breaking previous records set by past iPhones. Analytics firm Localytics also shared data that also revealed the iPhone 5s outsold the iPhone 5c by roughly 3.5x during the launch weekend as measured by customer usage.

Article Link: iPhone 5s Tops Sales Charts at Major U.S. Carriers as iPhone 5c and Galaxy S4 Battle for Second

 

[Born Again]

Well of course !

It's the new apple flag ship iPhone! Those other phones have been out for some time.

The fact that the iPhone 5c is "battling" for 2nd place speaks to how lackluster sales are for the device.


Btw I don't see a discount for the iPhone 5s - yet the iPhone 5c is already at 50% off

Steve would of never allowed for this

 

[newdeal]

Well of course !

It's the new apple flag ship iPhone! Those other phones have been out for some time.

The fact that the iPhone 5c is "battling" for 2nd place speaks to how lackluster sales are for the device.


Btw I don't see a discount for the iPhone 5s - yet the iPhone 5c is already at 50% off

Steve would of never allowed for this

Agreed, the S4 is like 4+ months old and the 5S and 5C were just released. I can see the S4 beating the 5C at all carriers by christmas and possibly even beating the 5S on some carriers by that time. Apple should be in full blown crisis mode at this point. The iphone is by far their most important product and they need to react while they are still at the top to products gaining on them, if they wait until they become surpassed its a slippery slope. I don't think Cook has the instincts or attitude that Jobs did to upright the ship if it starts to go down. Also Jobs apparently had a pipeline of products in development so likely this roadmap is still part of what Jobs made, however while that may work for slower to evolve technologies like the Mac line when it comes to rapidly changing markets such as smartphones and tablets Jobs would have had the balls to cut off the roadmap and start over whereas I don't think Cook does

 

[vmachiel]

Great, now fix that availability. Can't even buy it yet where i live

 

[osofast240sx]

Agreed, the S4 is like 4+ months old and the 5S and 5C were just released. I can see the S4 beating the 5C at all carriers by christmas and possibly even beating the 5S on some carriers by that time. Apple should be in full blown crisis mode at this point. The iphone is by far their most important product and they need to react while they are still at the top to products gaining on them, if they wait until they become surpassed its a slippery slope. I don't think Cook has the instincts or attitude that Jobs did to upright the ship if it starts to go down. Also Jobs apparently had a pipeline of products in development so likely this roadmap is still part of what Jobs made, however while that may work for slower to evolve technologies like the Mac line when it comes to rapidly changing markets such as smartphones and tablets Jobs would have had the balls to cut off the roadmap and start over whereas I don't think Cook does

Wake up buddy you're dreaming sales numbers don't predict this

 

[Tiger8]

Well of course !

It's the new apple flag ship iPhone! Those other phones have been out for some time.

The fact that the iPhone 5c is "battling" for 2nd place speaks to how lackluster sales are for the device.


Btw I don't see a discount for the iPhone 5s - yet the iPhone 5c is already at 50% off

Steve would of never allowed for this

Since when is $50 off $550 considered 50% off?

#math

 

[technowar]

"The data is accurate!" Said no Android fan ever.

 

[lincolntran]

Agreed, the S4 is like 4+ months old and the 5S and 5C were just released. I can see the S4 beating the 5C at all carriers by christmas and possibly even beating the 5S on some carriers by that time. Apple should be in full blown crisis mode at this point. The iphone is by far their most important product and they need to react while they are still at the top to products gaining on them, if they wait until they become surpassed its a slippery slope. I don't think Cook has the instincts or attitude that Jobs did to upright the ship if it starts to go down. Also Jobs apparently had a pipeline of products in development so likely this roadmap is still part of what Jobs made, however while that may work for slower to evolve technologies like the Mac line when it comes to rapidly changing markets such as smartphones and tablets Jobs would have had the balls to cut off the roadmap and start over whereas I don't think Cook does

S4 beating 5s in sale?

I almost choke on this... Where have you been all these years?

 

[Michael Scrip]

Agreed, the S4 is like 4+ months old and the 5S and 5C were just released. I can see the S4 beating the 5C at all carriers by christmas and possibly even beating the 5S on some carriers by that time. Apple should be in full blown crisis mode at this point. The iphone is by far their most important product and they need to react while they are still at the top to products gaining on them, if they wait until they become surpassed its a slippery slope. I don't think Cook has the instincts or attitude that Jobs did to upright the ship if it starts to go down. Also Jobs apparently had a pipeline of products in development so likely this roadmap is still part of what Jobs made, however while that may work for slower to evolve technologies like the Mac line when it comes to rapidly changing markets such as smartphones and tablets Jobs would have had the balls to cut off the roadmap and start over whereas I don't think Cook does

Apple's best-selling quarter after an iPhone launch was 47 million iPhones. They have the potential of surpassing that by a large margin now. Their biggest problem is they can't make the damn things fast enough.

I don't think terms like "crisis mode" and "upright the ship" are really apt at the moment.

Apple will still be the #2 smartphone vendor by volume... and that's out of hundreds of manufacturers. And they will still make billions of dollars.

Now if you were talking about Blackberry or HTC... then "crisis mode" and "upright the ship" would make more sense

 

[GaiaAero]

Agreed, the S4 is like 4+ months old and the 5S and 5C were just released. I can see the S4 beating the 5C at all carriers by christmas and possibly even beating the 5S on some carriers by that time. Apple should be in full blown crisis mode at this point. The iphone is by far their most important product and they need to react while they are still at the top to products gaining on them, if they wait until they become surpassed its a slippery slope. I don't think Cook has the instincts or attitude that Jobs did to upright the ship if it starts to go down. Also Jobs apparently had a pipeline of products in development so likely this roadmap is still part of what Jobs made, however while that may work for slower to evolve technologies like the Mac line when it comes to rapidly changing markets such as smartphones and tablets Jobs would have had the balls to cut off the roadmap and start over whereas I don't think Cook does

That's a bit of a stretch don't you think?

 

[scaredpoet]

Well of course !
The fact that the iPhone 5c is a repackaged version of last year's model, and still "battling" for 2nd place speaks to how lackluster The S4 is.

Fixed that for ya.

I can see the S4 beating the 5C at all carriers by christmas and possibly even beating the 5S on some carriers by that time. Apple should be in full blown crisis mode at this point.

In what universe? the sales numbers don't even come close to supporting your "prediction."

This Chicken Little attitude needs to stop, and so does the armchair quarterbacking. Apple's demise has been predicted for two years now, and their income and sales numbers have still bested their competitors in their worst quarters.

If you feel that Apple is a sinking ship, then make like a rat and be the first to jump off, please.

 

[OriginalClone]

Since when is $50 off $550 considered 50% off?

#math

I think he/she is referring to the subsidized price. $50 off $100 would be 50%.

 

[redhawk87]

While this is bad news for Apple, one thing to note is this only takes into account 11 days of iPhone 5S and 5C availability. The S4 on the other hand accounts for all 30 days of the month. Regardless, I remember when iPhones made up the TOP 3 spots and that was a couple months after a new iPhone came out. I guess we will have to see if the iPhone can keep this momentum throughout the rest of the year or if the S4 will become king once again. I am betting on the latter.

BTW I absolutely hate the S4 in every way and have no idea how its selling at all. I want Apple to do well just like everyone else on here.

 

[scaredpoet]

Now if you were talking about Blackberry or HTC... then "crisis mode" and "upright the ship" would make more sense

To be fair, HTC isn't doing that bad, actually. They did lose money last quarter, their first time ever. But people keep quoting that they lost "nearly 3 billion dollars" when that figure is in Taiwan dollars. That translates to about US $101 million. Still not great, but not disastrous, either.

As for Blackberry, well, sadly there's no denying that's a sinking ship. The said thing is, it didn't have to sink if management hadn't been so arrogant. It's a cautionary tale that everyone - HTC AND Apple included - should learn from. But Apple and HTC are far from sinking ships right now.

 

[MonstaMash]

The 4S was outsold by the S3 when the iPhone 5 launched.

But the 4S proved to have huge legs over the year.

5c will be the same. No one will line up for the device, but we'll see steady sales over time.

5c shouldn't be compare to Samsung's flagship S4. The 5s should. And it's destroying Samsung.

5c sales should be compare to S3.

 

[2457282]

Haters gonna Hate.

All the comments are so negative and I don't get it. So far Apple sold more iphones than they can make; is the number 1 sold phone and is fighting for number 2 with last year's phone. And their margins are so high that they have run out of mattresses to stuff all the cash into.

Seriously the opinions expressed on this thread do not seem to sync with the facts on the ground.

In any case, it would be interesting to see how this plays out globally. The theory going in was that the 5c would eventually surpass the 5s and more so in developing countries. So getting a global look at this could be revealing relative to the theory.

 

[topper24hours]

Well of course !

It's the new apple flag ship iPhone! Those other phones have been out for some time.

The fact that the iPhone 5c is "battling" for 2nd place speaks to how lackluster sales are for the device.


Btw I don't see a discount for the iPhone 5s - yet the iPhone 5c is already at 50% off

Hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
You are aware that the 5C is just a colored iPhone 5, yeah?? Ask ANY of your fellow cronies.... they've been paying MUCH better attention. That phone is OVER A YEAR OLD with fresh paint. Apple isn't trying to hide this....!!!! They are pricing it in line with how they ALWAYS have their year old phones.

Here's how your ridiculous post reads, minus your gross misunderstanding of reality:
radio- "duh, of course Apple's untested/unreviewed brand new (yet same as before) phone is selling better than S4.. the S4 has only had 4 months to prove how awesome & new it is, to make it to all channels, & to be extensively tested and reviewed. Look at how it's neck & neck with Apple's LAST YEAR tech phone, the 5C. everybody knows that pitting Apple's year old tech in a cheap new case vs the very finest/latest from Samsung is the FAIR way to compare! S4 for the win, derp, derp!"

 

[Born Again]

Hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
You are aware that the 5C is just a colored iPhone 5, yeah?? Ask ANY of your fellow cronies.... they've been paying MUCH better attention. That phone is OVER A YEAR OLD with fresh paint. Apple isn't trying to hide this....!!!! They are pricing it in line with how they ALWAYS have their year old phones.

Here's how your ridiculous post reads, minus your gross misunderstanding of reality:
radio- "duh, of course Apple's untested/unreviewed brand new (yet same as before) phone is selling better than S4.. the S4 has only had 4 months to prove how awesome & new it is, to make it to all channels, & to be extensively tested and reviewed. Look at how it's neck & neck with Apple's LAST YEAR tech phone, the 5C. everybody knows that pitting Apple's year old tech in a cheap new case vs the very finest/latest from Samsung is the FAIR way to compare! S4 for the win, derp, derp!"

Quoted for error.

(Slams the door)

 

[CEmajr]

Agreed, the S4 is like 4+ months old and the 5S and 5C were just released. I can see the S4 beating the 5C at all carriers by christmas and possibly even beating the 5S on some carriers by that time. Apple should be in full blown crisis mode at this point. The iphone is by far their most important product and they need to react while they are still at the top to products gaining on them, if they wait until they become surpassed its a slippery slope. I don't think Cook has the instincts or attitude that Jobs did to upright the ship if it starts to go down. Also Jobs apparently had a pipeline of products in development so likely this roadmap is still part of what Jobs made, however while that may work for slower to evolve technologies like the Mac line when it comes to rapidly changing markets such as smartphones and tablets Jobs would have had the balls to cut off the roadmap and start over whereas I don't think Cook does

Oh please. Get out of here with this ridiculous prediction that you have no facts of which to base upon.

- this is 11 days of iPhone availability vs 30 days of samsung
- the S4 is fully stocked on all 4 carriers and even $0 upfront at Tmobile while the 5S is sold out nearly everywhere. With little to absolutely no stock at most carrier stores. Yet it is still outselling the S4
- the 5C is a repackaged iPhone 5. It's embarrassing to Samsung that the S4 is battling the low end iPhone model for 2nd. (The S3 outsold the 4S after the 5 was released)
- The S3 never came back to beat the iPhone 5 after it launched so what's your basis for assuming the S4 will? If anything the gap will widen once the 5S is in abundant supply around November.
- why should Apple panic after having their best iPhone launch sales numbers ever?

Nothing you said even makes logical sense.

 

[Twimfy]

I think the 5C will storm the UK market come Christmas. Reason being you can get one on contract for a really low price on an excellent tariff.

I know this because last week I wandered into my local phone store to take out a new contract. My intention was to get a 5S but as soon as I had a go on the 5C I had to have one and I've saved myself a fortune. £50 upfront and £29 a month for unlimited calls texts and data is a steal in my opinion.

I couldn't give a crap that it's a year old device. It's rock solid. Performs well and I don't have to worry about scratching the thing to hell.

Once upon a time I needed the latest and greatest. Now I couldn't care less. The 5C is a fantastic phone and even though it's pricey off contract, the slightly lower price gives carriers here the opportunity to offer a new phone at a much better rate with little compromise in functionality over the 5S.

You also have to remember that the average consumer won't think of the 5C as a repackaged 5.

Additionally. Although my perspective says nothing about sales on general. I have seen a lot of 5Cs out on the wild. Way more than I have the 5S. I think the 5C is going to surprise us all come the holidays.

 

[pgiguere1]

Well of course !

It's the new apple flag ship iPhone! Those other phones have been out for some time.

The fact that the iPhone 5c is "battling" for 2nd place speaks to how lackluster sales are for the device.

It may also have to do with the fact the 5C was available for only 10 days in September, vs 30 days for the S4.

And besides, how would you conclude sales are lackluster just because it doesn't beat the best-selling competitor's phone? They're selling a lot of S4s, in fact it's totally disproportionate how much the S4 sells compared to Android phones in general.

 

[FelixAng]

For those of you celebrating the success of the 5C, keep it up. The 5C's relative value in the mobile marketplace can only go down from here, and it's not the "hot cakes" some MR posts expected it to be, with its melt-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hand colorful plastic shell.

S4 is doing well because the average consumer doesn't know anything about tech. The average consumer (AC) wants a big screen with lots of bells and whistles, and the S4 delivers. It feels "apologetically" plastic when I've tried one, and it's UI is more complicated, but I've watched people (in HK especially) go crazy for the screen size. I've seen shoppers in the US toy with the iPhone and then go for the S4 because of it's internals (which we know represent more of the S4's inefficiency than efficiency).

The 5C is currently in terminal mode; it's only downhill from here.

 

[Westacular]

The 4S was outsold by the S3 when the iPhone 5 launched.

But the 4S proved to have huge legs over the year.

5c will be the same. No one will line up for the device, but we'll see steady sales over time.

5c shouldn't be compare to Samsung's flagship S4. The 5s should. And it's destroying Samsung.

5c sales should be compare to S3.

Yes. Exactly. The 5c isn't meant to appeal to launch-day iPhone buyers. It's for the people who randomly come in over the course of the next year or two saying "hmm, maybe I want an iPhone?"

The purpose of creating the 5c instead of keeping around the 5 is to:

a) reduce the cost of manufacturing -- increasing Apple's profit margins, since they're selling it for the same price they'd be selling the 5 for right now anyway, and

b) turn it into something superficially new and different, so fashion-conscious buyers have alternatives beyond sleek black or silver metal when considering an iPhone, and make it seem less like "last year's iPhone".

Even if (b) fails entirely and the 5c doesn't sell any better than a year-old 5 would've, Apple's still coming out ahead thanks to (a).

 

[giantfan1224]

So let me get this straight: In the U.S. the 5S is the leading seller during the entire month of September among all carriers, despite only being for sale the last 11 days of the month. The 5C is second at two of the carriers, and third at the other two (and we all know that the largest of all carriers does not even push the iPhone) with only 11 days, whereas the Samsung S4 had 30 days to sell, and somehow some of you figure it's doom and gloom for Apple? Don't forget that Apple reported a record weekend and revised their quarterly guidance. So they sold more than even they thought they would.

 

[newdeal]

Oh please. Get out of here with this ridiculous prediction that you have no facts of which to base upon.

- this is 11 days of iPhone availability vs 30 days of samsung
- the S4 is fully stocked on all 4 carriers and even $0 upfront at Tmobile while the 5S is sold out nearly everywhere. With little to absolutely no stock at most carrier stores. Yet it is still outselling the S4
- the 5C is a repackaged iPhone 5. It's embarrassing to Samsung that the S4 is battling the low end iPhone model for 2nd. (The S3 outsold the 4S after the 5 was released)
- The S3 never came back to beat the iPhone 5 after it launched so what's your basis for assuming the S4 will? If anything the gap will widen once the 5S is in abundant supply around November.
- why should Apple panic after having their best iPhone launch sales numbers ever?

Nothing you said even makes logical sense.

The best sales ever includes countries that haven't been in the initial launch such as china. The best sales also includes shipments of the 5C that are likely sitting on shelves and not solely the 5S. My prediction may be way off, but the good part is we will know in a few months