Kuo: Apple Watch Series 4 Pre-Orders Above Expectations, iPhone XS Seeing Lackluster Demand

[JLD94]

Ha! Fat freaking chance. As a fan of BB (I like that they are still doing the brick and mortar thing) you ALWAYS have to take their specials with a grain of salt and a keen eye. Everytime I have chased one down in the past it was revealed that there are all sorts of conditions, extra lines of service, and so on that almost completely evaporates those specials. Apple isn't providing the phones to BB at any big discount, BB is selling Apple to get people into their stores. No way is BB going to take a haircut, let alone to the tune of $200, to move Apple's products. Rarely is their a 'free lunch' in current Apple products.

And it sounds like you've never purchased there. Thanks for the speculation
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By the time there is a "deal", you'll be looking at the calendar and thinking, "But a new phone is about to be announced"

I guess you wern't shopping last Nov, Dec

 

[gaximus]

The problem with the debut of the iPhone XS, is that unlike previous S releases, there was nothing significantly new over the X to drive demand. No 3D Touch, no Siri, no new form factor, no new camera, etc.
The XS Max is a larger phone that will cater to the 7 and 8 Plus crowd, and the XR has the advantage of lower cost, but the XS? It’s dead in the water. The only thing Apple can do is stop selling the X and force people that want to upgrade to buy the XS. Otherwise, people will just buy the X for a cheaper price than the XS and get what is essentially the exact same phone. And for those of us with the X already? I see no reason to upgrade to the XS.

On the flip side, I have the Series 3 and the Series 4 is a huge upgrade for me. The larger screen with more complications, the new back which now allows me to utilize all the heart and health features which were previously blocked by my tattoo’s, plus the thinner design makes this a no brainer for me.

But it does have a new camera and sensor.

 

[imageWIS]

I'm getting a Xs, only because I have a 6s and really need to upgrade. If not, yeah, I would skip it and wait for the XI, or whatever.

 

[gaximus]

It's technical the fastest iPhone X, because the GPU doesn't need to render that much pixels and scale it every 60 pictures per seconds. That's huge!

https://www.paintcodeapp.com/news/ultimate-guide-to-iphone-resolutions

Also you get the first time all iPhone Apps in "Plus Layout" but without scaling!

If Haptic Touch is like the TrackPad from MacBook, it's good enough to compensate 3D Touch. If anything, I will be miss the Dual Camera from my 7+, but I only use it because it was there. Instead of 2x Zoom, I would go for 1x and 4x.

The MacBook trackpad uses 3D Touch, and haptic feedback.

 

[wdwpsu]

There's little nuances in the pricing of the Xs which don't make sense and are frustrating to me.
- Apple Care for the Xs is the same price ($199) as it is for the Xs Max (Xr is $149).
- Upgrading to the second tier of storage on the Xs is a $150 premium, whereas it's only $50 for the Xr.
- Cases, despite being smaller, for the Xs are the same price as cases for the Xs Max. (Pricing for Xr cases isn't available yet).

I really think the price point for the Xr and Xs Max are correct. But, the Xs is shifted a little too high in comparison. (I really wanted the Xs to be $900). I'm still probably getting the Xs (because overall size is important to me - Xr/XsMax are just too big), but am frustrated overall with the pricing.

So, to the typical consumer, the Xs is $250 more than the Xr. But, taking in to account AppleCare, taxes, etc. You are looking at closer to a $350 price difference.

 

[gaximus]

No it’s not. It’s innovation. And that costs money. And it’s not the only option. There are plenty of cheaper iPhone configurations. Is BMW being greedy for selling sedans at 50K and cutting edge electric sports cars at 200K?

No one is forcing you to buy the top of the line product. I have a 7+. I plan on keeping it another year at least. I make my living in software development and guarantee I’m more tech savvy than the majority of people on this forum. And I see no reason to upgrade.

People complaining about prices are the same ones who just want the shiny new bauble every year, which is just stupid and wasteful. If you look at a phone as a three year purchase, even $1500 isn’t terrible when you consider how much it gets used. I bet the average person who owns both a Mac and iPhone uses his or her iPhone much more.

I’m not thrilled about prices going up, but innovation isn’t free. People need to stop looking at phones as a yearly upgrade and treat them for what they are, sophisticated pocket computers designed to last several years.

This. Apple is a for profit company, the can sell anything for any amount of money. I don't see people getting mad a Lamborghini or Bugatti for selling cars at $250,000 +++. "But I want a Lamborghini thats in my price range, they're making there cars too expensive." The ironic thing is that people are saying to vote with your wallet, that will just force Apple to make the iPhone more expensive for higher margins, and make the iPhone more exclusive. And Apple won't ever start lowering prices if sales were to go back up.

 

[Ramchi]

Sure. Nothing means anything. Facts don’t exist. Your personal truth is all that matters.

Or the facts show that Apple consistently releases products that detract from sales of its other products. The XR will detract from the XS. The new iPad detracts from the iPad Pro sales. The iPhone cannibalizes the iPod, their cash cow at the time.

And maybe logic dictates that in an industry with numerous competitors, you should make new products that customers want even if that means you will sell fewer of your existing products, because otherwise your competitors will.

But yeah, maybe everything is bs and facts aren’t facts and chickens are dogs and unicorns are conspiring to steal your cheese.

I think you got it all wrong IMHO.

Tim Cook master of manipulating stocks and earning calls has perfectly lined up products such as Apple watch, a variety of iPhone Models from simple one variant, HomePod, iPad Pro, iPad 12 inch, iPad Mini, Air Pod etc...

He calibrates each quarter where there will be a dull sales of iPhones with these products....to fix the gap. This quarter he is reasonably confident of iPhone XS and XS Max sale(less volume growth but at higher margins), along with Apple Watch will ensure he can cross this quarter with flying colours.

He would announce, XR, later this quarter, and iPad next quarter and so on so forth...

He has pushed the customers and brought forward investors sentiments as the primary area of focus.

 

[farewelwilliams]

I don't get the fascination with landscape unlock maybe because I never unlock my phone on landscape... never did when I had Touch ID on iPhones.
iPad is another matter. I use iPad on landscape most of the time. iPhone only if I am watching a video.

try in-app purchase while playing a landscape game. or when browsing safari in landscape and you need to autofill a password in. or switching to 1password from a landscape app to grab a password.

 

[FFR]

There's little nuances in the pricing of the Xs which don't make sense and are frustrating to me.
- Apple Care for the Xs is the same price ($199) as it is for the Xs Max (Xr is $149).
- Upgrading to the second tier of storage on the Xs is a $150 premium, whereas it's only $50 for the Xr.
- Cases, despite being smaller, for the Xs are the same price as cases for the Xs Max. (Pricing for Xr cases isn't available yet).

I really think the price point for the Xr and Xs Max are correct. But, the Xs is shifted a little too high in comparison. (I really wanted the Xs to be $900). I'm still probably getting the Xs (because overall size is important to me - Xr/XsMax are just too big), but am frustrated overall with the pricing.

So, to the typical consumer, the Xs is $250 more than the Xr. But, taking in to account AppleCare, taxes, etc. You are looking at closer to a $350 price difference.

Don’t know think there are any nuances.

1)xs and xs max are stainless steel vs aluminum on the x.

2)tiered storage is exactly the same, between the xs and xr

3)don’t know why that would make a difference?

 

[AjTee]

Awaiting to preorder new Apple Watch in my Country

 

[Teammm]

People want the XR. If you're upgrading from the 6, even up to the 8 like me, the XR is a significant improvement and gives you that iPhone X feel which is popularrrrrrr

 

[legacyb4]

This is false. The increase is 10-15% for CPU, half of what you stated. The GPU is not double, only 50% better, again, half of what you stated. The better battery life is half an hour better, that is not "noticeably better." The new camera tricks has been available in an app since the X. Face ID is faster but doesn't work horizontal. Dual Sim is going to cater to what, 5%?, of people. Seems like a non update to me. XS MAX is what I am getting because the XS sucks for that price compared to my current X.

So all you want is a bigger screen?

 

[wdwpsu]

Don’t know think there are any nuances.

1)xs and xs max are stainless steel vs aluminum on the x.

2)tiered storage is exactly the same, between the xs and xr

3)don’t know why that would make a difference?

1) I don't understand why you are qualifying a more expensive service plan on the more rugged body.
2) There's no $49 (128GB) option on the Xs.
3) Because the Plus cases always were more money than their smaller counterparts. Xs is almost an ip8 size. XsMax is ip8+ size.

 

[the-msa]

still no included fast charger or dongle, plus that price tag... or a cable to connect it to your current apple laptop. it's getting embarrassing.

wouldn't complain if this was a 150 bucks generic Android device i must say.

 

[dampfnudel]

Really? I think it is the best one to get.

99% because of the “cheaper” price and color options which isn’t the best criteria for being the best one to get.

 

[FFR]

1) I don't understand why you are qualifying a more expensive service plan on the more rugged body.
2) There's no $49 (128GB) option on the Xs.
3) Because the Plus cases always were more money than their smaller counterparts. Xs is almost an ip8 size. XsMax is ip8+ size.

1)Nothing to do with rugged, its Cost of good on the iPhone xs is higher than the xr. Stainless steel, oled diisplay, second camera lens,4x4 mimo, gigabit lte etc.
If Apple has to replace the phone it would cost them more with the Xs over the Xr.

2)yes but the increase in price between the 64 and 256 is equal between the xs and xr.
As you later stated the xs Just doesn’t have 128gb. Not really a nuance.

3)probably because the xs is bigger than the 8 and the xs max is smaller than the 8plus.

 

[dampfnudel]

There's little nuances in the pricing of the Xs which don't make sense and are frustrating to me.
- Apple Care for the Xs is the same price ($199) as it is for the Xs Max (Xr is $149).
- Upgrading to the second tier of storage on the Xs is a $150 premium, whereas it's only $50 for the Xr.
- Cases, despite being smaller, for the Xs are the same price as cases for the Xs Max. (Pricing for Xr cases isn't available yet).

I really think the price point for the Xr and Xs Max are correct. But, the Xs is shifted a little too high in comparison. (I really wanted the Xs to be $900). I'm still probably getting the Xs (because overall size is important to me - Xr/XsMax are just too big), but am frustrated overall with the pricing.

So, to the typical consumer, the Xs is $250 more than the Xr. But, taking in to account AppleCare, taxes, etc. You are looking at closer to a $350 price difference.

You’re going up to 256GB from 64GB with the Xs, not from 64GB to 128GB like you are with the Xr. I do admit that Apple not offering 128GB on the Xs is shady behavior by Apple to make more money on a lot of people who would only need 128GB.

 

[MoreRumors?]

What in the world is Kuo saying? He is way, way off in predicting any Apple sales with these new current products coming out. Come at the end of this December, Tim will announce the sales for Xs, Xs Max and Xr is well beyond his imagination .

 

[ftaok]

This report is designed to drive the stock price down. Apple is currently in their quite period and the tech sites know that there are no shortages of sell-side analysts eager to put their name on shoddy analysis designed to drive the stock down.

Also, Apple typically makes a statement about "best sales ever" every September, but always after the first weekend of actual availability. So we haven't even cleared that hurdle yet.

So watch the financial news over the next few days or so to see what kind of pile-on reporting comes out. Then around next Wednesday, I'd guess that a few major analysts will quote their supply chain contacts and declare huge sales to drive the stock back up.

Obviously, this will occur after the sell-siders tell their clients to buy at the low point.

All opinions expressed in this post are my own. You're responsible for your own decisions.

 

[Salaryman Ryan]

I know 8 people with the X and none of them are interested in moving up to the XS and these guys used to upgrade every year for the past 8 years. Just speculation on my part but it seems as the iphones get more expensive chances more people's upgrade cycle will take longer.

 

[goobot]

It wont fail because you assume everybody already have the x which is far from reality

You are correct, I just feel like most people who would want an x already got one last year and people who held out either wanted a cheaper version of a larger version.

 

[BvizioN]

try in-app purchase while playing a landscape game. or when browsing safari in landscape and you need to autofill a password in. or switching to 1password from a landscape app to grab a password.

I don't play games on a iPhone, use iPad Pro if I ever play any games but rarely. Again, safari on landscape is unusable for me due to the display not being to wide. Always on portrait. The only time I would find use for Touch ID to work landscape is for when I connect my iPhone to DJI mavic air remote. It the screen goes to sleep while on remote I have to rotate it. But that is quite rare. So yeah, it doesn't bother me. But it would, if it was on iPad and it only worked on portrait. By default I always use iPad Pro on landscape.

 

[Substance90]

Let’s bit forget that iOS enabled the likes of Cydia. And since we’re discussing 2008, the iPhone changes the world back then and that continues even to this day. What Apple admits to or doesn’t is irrelevant, they are a smart company not going anywhere but up.

How can you refer to 2007-8 iPhone and say it's the same kind of Apple? Apple of 2018 is all about catch up. They've been been two steps behind the competition for multiple years already, forget about ground breaking innovations like the iPhone. Nowadays software, not hardware is the only thing keeping many people in the Apple ecosystem, and I must say their software quality has been lacking lately, especially on the macOS side.

 

[robbyx]

Indeed. So a stupid decision by Apple can’t be stupid, as it is “progress”
(or either courage or coming out of an “ass”)

Don’t put words on my mouth. I never said a decision was or wasn’t stupid. But when it comes to suggesting an SD card slot on an iPhone, anyone who suggests that simply doesn’t get Apple. It is a philosophical choice for them. And yes, moving to the Cloud and getting rid of unreliable physical media is progress in many people’s eyes. Not just Apple. Whether these decisions are stupid or not, it doesn’t change the fact that Apple would never ever put an SD card slot in an iPhone and anyone who doesn’t get that simply doesn’t get Apple.

 

[styymy]

Relax, it's just the first full week of preorder. There's plenty of supply for all of the models. Most won't order till October. I'm still using a 6S, contemplating which one to get. Whatever happened to patience?