Is the 5C a fail? Still available for 9/20

[aristobrat]

But let's not sit here and pretend Apple has some flawless record of pricing and marketing. I distinctly recall getting a credit when Apple realized they priced the original iPhone too high and lowered prices shortly after.

And let's not pretend that Apple hasn't learned anything about pricing and marketing since the incident you're referring too (involving their first time launching the iPhone, seven freaking years ago).

IMO, Steviejobz hubris is what got them into that situation, and good on them for quickly owning up and rectifying it. As a stockholder, that must have made you feel good.

Also IMO, people with views like yours "OMG there's no stock out, the iPhone 5c is a fail" is exactly why Apple stock is as bipolar as it is.

 

[swarmster]

My guess? It's doing a lot better than the 4S was the weekend after the 5 was announced.

 

[Vetvito]

I skipped marketing and went for a Finance degree and I what I do see is Apple shares lower while the market looked to open up 200 points this morning. So clearly something is wrong. Could the market be getting the 5C opportunity wrong? Sure. But let's not sit here and pretend Apple has some flawless record of pricing and marketing. I distinctly recall getting a credit when Apple realized they priced the original iPhone too high and lowered prices shortly after. I'm a shareholder and I like to see sell outs. This 5C / 5S is new ground for the company and while the jury is still out a simple fact remains this is one of the few new product launches we have seen where supplied remain plentiful. Granted the genii at Apple probably foresaw this and why we dont have pre-order for 5S. They want the media to show pictures of people waiting on lines for the new device.

You may want to look at the Apple's share price after each iPhone event in the past 3-4 years, Apple share price has dipped after each event. This is nothing new. Analyst say the sky is falling, and then Apple reports record numbers as usual.

 

[Shan S.]

Who knows. We have to wait until sales numbers are released. I'm inclined to think it's probably a little of both (less demand, better supply chain). In any case, I think Apple should change their reported numbers to units shipped like Samsung.

Changing to shipped would not be a good idea.. Samsung reports number of items "Shipped" as shipped to retailers, distributors, etc. This does not mean the actual items have been sold to customers. They can be shipped and then sit on the shelfs for a while. Or even after a while a percent of those shipped items can get returned because they were unsold to customers...

Apple actually reports number of items sold to the end customer... A bit more accurate...

 

[solo118]

This phone has many color choices, so this could affect availability.

If it was just black or white, it would be a different story.

Now I hope the 5S has the same scenario, where there are more than enough to go around due to the color options

 

[VSMacOne]

I really think they went into the pre-order with more stock and the additional colors are really making it difficult to compare to previous years. I think they were planning on a more aggressive push for the 5C and they were able to manufacture more of them since they had all the internals for iPhone 5 already.

 

[neoelectronaut]

First time that I can remember that after a full weekend of pre-orders a new model of iPhone (or any mobile device for that matter) has not seen ship dates slip. Seems to be too much competition with and not enough price difference with the 5S so why not go for the flagship?

Why would you expect Apple to sell out of what is essentially "last year's model"?

 

[HenryDJP]

I skipped marketing and went for a Finance degree and I what I do see is Apple shares lower while the market looked to open up 200 points this morning. So clearly something is wrong. Could the market be getting the 5C opportunity wrong? Sure. But let's not sit here and pretend Apple has some flawless record of pricing and marketing. I distinctly recall getting a credit when Apple realized they priced the original iPhone too high and lowered prices shortly after. I'm a shareholder and I like to see sell outs. This 5C / 5S is new ground for the company and while the jury is still out a simple fact remains this is one of the few new product launches we have seen where supplied remain plentiful. Granted the genii at Apple probably foresaw this and why we dont have pre-order for 5S. They want the media to show pictures of people waiting on lines for the new device.

Let's not sit here and pretend that your Finance degree is working for you because it's not. The stock market doesn't decide the fate of the company. The market is the biggest piece of hogwash to screw with people's minds. Just so you know, I am licensed Financial Consultant and have been so for the past 12 years. Facebook screwed up royally last year with their IPO due to Zuckerberg's attempt to screw his investors. In turn FB's stock dropped down from the $38 IPO price to $23 and remained there for a year. Just the past few days it's moved up to $45.

I'm saying all of this because in the interim Facebook made billions during the past 12 months after their failed IPO even with the stock price not moving an inch. My point is you need to understand business better if you think the Stock Market decides the fate of a company's product. It doesn't.

People now have choice which is something they've never had before with Apple's phones. Ever since the first iPhone people have become accustomed to the "industrial" look of the iPhone so the 5S will sell well, however in turn the 5C will do very well because people like variety in colors despite what people say on this forum and blogs. Apple's entire customer base is millions more than the tiny customer base here and any other forums and blogs.

Because shipping dates aren't slipping could also indicate that Apple purposely built more phones to accommodate their customers, especially since Scalpers keep trying to buy up phones for resale.

 

[rocknblogger]

I know everyone on this forum is excited to use their Associate's degree in Marketing, but I'm pretty sure Apple knows what they are doing. What have sales been like for previous generation iPhones in the past? Was the 4S out of stock when the 5 came out? Was the 4 out of stock when the 4S came out? I doubt it.

You can't make make those comparisons because the 4 and 4S were clearly previous year models. The 5c was introduced as a "New" iPhone. To us here on Macrumors the 5c is what it is, mostly last years tech in a new plastic casing. To the average consumer it is a new iPhone with a slightly lowered price tag. It is really not the same as previous releases.

I said this in another thread. In previous years we always heard reports from retailers on how happy they were with preorders. Usually by the end of the weekend and sometimes within 24-36 hours. This year it's very quiet. Not a single report. I think that's telling.

 

[CD3660]

In previous years we always heard reports from retailers on how happy they were with preorders. Usually by the end of the weekend and sometimes within 24-36 hours. This year it's very quiet. Not a single report. I think that's telling.

I suspect that you are right.

 

[vannibombonato]

I said this in another thread. In previous years we always heard reports from retailers on how happy they were with preorders. Usually by the end of the weekend and sometimes within 24-36 hours. This year it's very quiet. Not a single report. I think that's telling.

This is very true, and the only piece of evidence we have.
If there were any record or very strong numbers out there, Apple and / or retailers would brag about it, just as they have always rightfully did.

If they're not doing it by now, we can safely (90%) assume those numbers just are not there. Which doesn't mean failure, it just means no "huge success", at least for now.

Personally i see the iphone 5c as a total failure at this price point (it's a full 100$ too much to me), but again, when the ipad launched i thought it was a big useless iphone...i'm still ashamed.

 

[Adelphos33]

This is very true, and the only piece of evidence we have.
If there were any record or very strong numbers out there, Apple and / or retailers would brag about it, just as they have always rightfully did.

If they're not doing it by now, we can safely (90%) assume those numbers just are not there. Which doesn't mean failure, it just means no "huge success", at least for now.

Personally i see the iphone 5c as a total failure at this price point (it's a full 100$ too much to me), but again, when the ipad launched i thought it was a big useless iphone...i'm still ashamed.

At $100 less, the phone would have had to be downgraded, so Apple had no choice to but stick with its pricing. I purchased a 5C, but would not have had if it didn't have the A6, 32G storage option, LTE bands, same quality camera, etc. However, at the same time, I would have purchased a 5S instead, so maybe Apple is really cannibalizing itself here.

 

[Plutonius]

Changing to shipped would not be a good idea.. Samsung reports number of items "Shipped" as shipped to retailers, distributors, etc. This does not mean the actual items have been sold to customers. They can be shipped and then sit on the shelfs for a while. Or even after a while a percent of those shipped items can get returned because they were unsold to customers...

Apple actually reports number of items sold to the end customer... A bit more accurate...

Yep, but Apple is competing against Samsung. It may be inaccurate but it will show a higher number and it will make a better comparison to Samsung's numbers unless Samsung is flooding the market and getting a lot back.

 

[QCassidy352]

We have no idea what the supply was, so how is this meaningful? Maybe they just finally made enough before launch, which has been a complaint for years.

Also, this is the first time there has ever been a new iPhone that is NOT the flagship when released. So it's not a fair comparison to either the 5 last year or the 4s last year because it's the first ever new phone at the reduced price point. There is no fair historical comparison.

 

[Dented]

You can't make make those comparisons because the 4 and 4S were clearly previous year models.

Yes you can; the 5C may be a "new" phone as far as the average consumer is concerned, but it's also clearly marketed as the lower spec, cheaper alternative to the *new* new iPhone in the form of the 5S. You don't have to be a tech geek to see that.

The people who preorder and queue up every year for the *new* iPhone in silly numbers WILL NOT do the same for the 5C when the 5S is clearly the phone for them. There is no great pent up demand for the 5C anymore than there was for a cheaper 4S last year, that level of fanaticism was always going to be reserved for the 5S, as this forum clearly demonstrates.

That doesn't make the 5C a failure, far from it if it really is selling out in some configurations. The 5C will be a solid seller just like the 4S last year, and just like the 5 would have been this year if the 5C hadn't have been cooked up as a clever way to increase profit margins.

 

[R.Stoychev]

The iphone 5C is not a fail, many people prefer it. Yes, it is not cheap by any means, but there are people loving the colors. The 3g/s was plastic too

 

[blairh]

Apple is banking on people not realizing that this is essentially the iPhone 5 but heavier and in plastic. I'm not sure such a product is in high demand. The only thing really going for it is the $100 on-contract entry point. I don't think the colors were the right move. They needed a black model. People get jazzed up about a new iPhone (5S) so I expect less demand for something that is really just a repackaged previous gen iPhone.

Part of me wants the 5C to do poorly because I think it's a mistake in some regards. At the very least they should have offered an 8 GB variant that was free/$450 off-contract. People love to say that Apple doesn't do cheap but a more affordable iPhone (with LTE and a 4" screen) makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[Zepaw]

The 5C is just the 5 in a different shell. Why would it sell like gangbusters? Its the kind of phone people will go into the store and get instead because its $100 cheaper, not the kind of phone people excitedly preorder.

 

[eelw]

It's probably easier to make this phone. The 5 parts are already lying around anyway do they just have to put them into plastic enclosures.

I'm wondering how many components from slightly scuffed up iPhone 5's were scavenged to reuse on the 5c's?

 

[fishmd]

Apple is banking on people not realizing that this is essentially the iPhone 5 but heavier and in plastic. I'm not sure such a product is in high demand. The only thing really going for it is the $100 on-contract entry point. I don't think the colors were the right move. They needed a black model. People get jazzed up about a new iPhone (5S) so I expect less demand for something that is really just a repackaged previous gen iPhone.

Part of me wants the 5C to do poorly because I think it's a mistake in some regards. At the very least they should have offered an 8 GB variant that was free/$450 off-contract. People love to say that Apple doesn't do cheap but a more affordable iPhone (with LTE and a 4" screen) makes a lot of sense to me.

There is a more affordable iPhone 5C....the used iPhone 5's that everyone is selling right now. You can get an iPhone 5 in perfect condition for 400$!!! That is a great deal and in my opinion way nicer and cheaper than the iPhone 5C. If people are smart and realize this, it is no wonder that the 5c hasn't sold out.

Edit: by the way I am probably going to be selling my iPhone 5 and going Android. I want a bigger screen.

 

[DaGrandMastah]

No....I would have been shocked if stock wasn't available. Remember, this is basically the iphone 5 with a new (and cheaper) exterior so the internals were already in place.

 

[LizKat]

Alot of colors and toomuch anticipation from apple.
People prefer 5 over 5c.
It explains why they are still in stock.

But yes...its plastic...from apple...so its a fail.

Oh right, like the first iPhone and duh, the iPod, ibooks, macbooks etc were all fails. You need a food taster and lucky the anti-Apple koolaid hasn't knocked you off yet.

PS ok so I wasn't a fan of the LS machine back in the days of beige...

 

[PDFierro]

Ok, so your point is Apple has improved the supply chain. Thus we do not need to camp out or wake up at 12:01am PST to order the 5S? Phew. Was worried

5s will have severely constrained supply. It's obvious as to why Apple is able to mass produce the 5c. It has nothing to do with it not selling.

 

[Kurso]

I've never seen so many folks here wanting the 5C to fail. I've got one ordered, so I'm sure that will push them over the edge.

I don't think people want the 5c to fail. I think that most people think Apple has made an error here and are not trying to blindly defend it.

The fact that Apple hasn't issued a press release about the 5c is pretty telling, and most likely why the market is reacting negatively this morning.

The timing of a 'c' model is poor IMO (Read here)

 

[jclardy]

The 5C should have been a low priced entrance level product for luring new groups into the ecosystem.
But the price is not low. And the 5S will cannibalize the 5C.
You are completely right.
Additionaly, the looks, the C's do have, are a C-atastrophy in the European market.

I don't think you get it - the 5c is the iPhone 5 in a new case. Apple is doing the exact same thing it has been doing for the past 3 years, selling last years iPhone for $100 less. iPhone 3GS became $99 when the 4 came out, 4 became $99 with the 4S, 4S became $99 with the 5.

The only difference is now they have a larger margin (for the plastic case) and people view it as something new, rather than just last years iPhone.

Would Apple have sold more iPhone 5's than 5c's if they just kept the 5 at $99? I doubt it - those that wanted the 5 bought one. With the 5c being the "new" iPhone and having color options gives it more appeal than the year old phone in black or white.