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As a shareholder, I’m happy if the Xs Max is more popular than the Xs. That said, I’m also not surprised. Faster Face ID and a somewhat better camera won’t be enough for most people. But the Max is popular with owners of older Plus models and Series 4 seems to be encouraging upgrades.

Agreed. In fact, I think that Apple held the Max size for launch in 2018 to help with demand for the XS series. The Max size is basically one of the new features of the XS product line.
 
The XS is in kind of a weird spot. XR and XS Max are going to be the go-to iPhones.

Too bad they aren’t all releasing at the same time.
 
As an iPhone 7S, 8S Plus and XS customer, I don't mind being the minority of iPhone sales years. Going from Series 2 to Series 4 will be a nice improvement as well.
 
The price points have gotten absurd, imo. I think companies like Apple will continue to drive up the cost of ownership until people speak with their wallets. I, for one, cannot justify the asking price of these devices anymore.

I’ve always carried both Android and iPhones top dogs, but with existing ones performing well above my ask...there’s nearly no compelling reason for me to support the likes of new Galaxy (esp the Note 9) and iPhone’s bottomless greed.

As always, just my opinion.
 
326 PPI has not been premium for at least four years. At $749, I'd expect better.
Apple customers aren’t spec chasers. They know iPhones have killer displays. If you think people won’t buy the XR because it doesn’t have 401 ppi like the older Plus models, you’re wrong. If they really want a higher ppi, they can buy either the cheaper 8 Plus or the more expensive XS or XS Max.

The XR is going to be a huge seller, basically taking 80% of the near-flagship buyers, those who for instance bought the 8/8 Plus last year.
 
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Apple customers aren’t spec chasers. They know iPhones have killer displays. If you think people won’t buy the XR because it doesn’t have 401 ppi like the older Plus models, you’re wrong. If they really want a higher ppi, they can buy either the cheaper 8 Plus or the more expensive XS or XS Max.

The XR is going to be a huge seller, basically taking 80% of the nest-flagship buyers, those who for instance bought the 8/8 Plus last year.

I agree the XR will be a huge seller. I was seriously tempted myself.
 
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If Apple made Apple Watch andriod compatible, the demand would be insane. Xs - I can see people who skipped the x upgrading to it. It isn’t a must have though and lacks anything special.

Xs Max will have strong demand, given it’s size and people’s desire for bigger phones. It proves that a four inch screen isn’t the sweet spot as someone claimed ;)

The watch is already the best selling wearable, they would rather use it as a selling point for their phones than sell more watches.
 
I’m trading my silver 8 plus for a space gray Xs. Similar enough screen and battery to the plus. I don’t want a large phone anymore. I think the X/Xs size is a perfect size for me. I ordered mine last night after dinner for a 9/21 in store pickup in the Seattle area. Super excited. Can’t wait to ditch the large white bezels. My Black Xs with have a black leather Apple case. It’ll be so sleek and stealth! I’m on the Apple Upgrade program so it’s only $9 more bucks a month than my plus payments. I’ll trade it next September. No big deal. I’ll skip A coffee and pastry one day to make up for the extra cost.
 
If you take Apple at the word, per the keynote, Schiller said that the XR has the highest quality LCD screen of not only any iPhone but any smartphone ever. Resolution is important but there's more to screen quality than just resolution. We'll just have to wait and see until DisplayMate gets their hands on one to find out.
The LCD screens in Apple devices are known for good color reproduction, especially the newer ones with support for the P3 color gamut. But for day-to-day use, increasing the PPI is usually what makes the biggest noticeable difference in display quality, though obviously there is some variation depending on the person.

In my opinion, no smartphone with a 326 PPI LCD in 2018 can be called premium, period. Price it at $649 for 64 GB, and it gets much harder to argue about the PPI, lack of 3D Touch, or lack of dual-cameras.
 
My wife moved from an iPhone 8+ to an iPhone XS -- she complained that the 8+ was just too large for her, and she hated that it wouldn't fit in pockets (if there were pockets in her clothes).

I opted to move from the X to the XS Max -- I have pockets, and a larger screen can be highly useful. Although, I really loved the one-handedness of my X.

But, this report is dumb -- whether you buy the XS or the XS Max, you're still buying a new iPhone, and really, that's all Apple cares about.
 
I agree the XR will be a huge seller. I was seriously tempted myself.
It has most of what customers want. There are some exclusives that will bring customers to the XS line no doubt; the 6.5” screen, largest screen of the Max, dual cameras and OLED screens, 512GB and even the gold color options are obvious draws. Also, those that don’t have a problem spending an extra $10-20 a month to have the best.
 
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Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a research note today, obtained by MacRumors, outlining his opinions about first-weekend pre-orders for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4.

apple-watch-series-4-and-iphone-xs-800x423.jpg

Kuo says Apple Watch Series 4 pre-orders have been "better than expected," as a result of new innovative functions, such as electrocardiogram support. He predicts Apple Watch shipments will reach 18 million units in 2018, with the Series 4 lineup accounting for 50 to 55 percent of those orders.

If the ECG support expands to more countries, Kuo believes the Series 4 lineup could see even stronger shipment momentum.

In contrast, Kuo says iPhone XS pre-orders are "lower-than-expected," as customers opt for the iPhone XS Max or wait for the iPhone XR. Kuo has lowered his forecast for iPhone XS orders, believing the model will account for only 10 to 15 percent of shipments of the new 2018 iPhones, down from 15 to 20 percent.

Kuo says iPhone XS Max pre-orders have been in line with expectations, signifying the success of Apple's high-pricing strategy:Kuo sees a positive outlook for the iPhone XR, available to pre-order October 19, given its lower pricing and dual-SIM support in China.

The well-known analyst increased his forecast for iPhone XR orders, estimating that the model will account for 55 to 60 percent of shipments of the new 2018 iPhones, up from 50 to 55 percent previously.

"We estimate the shipment peak of XS Max and XS will be in October and XR will start shipping and benefiting supply chain momentum in October," said Kuo.

iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 pre-orders began Friday.

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

I pre ordered it but I kinda wished Apple would finally allow the Apple Pencil to be used on an iPhone! I laugh every year at the announcement when they said this is the biggest and best phone Apple has ever made... you say that every year
 
Although I'm not doubting that this might be the case, I doubt what Kuo says is based on any kind of data. I think he is only comparing shipping estimates which of course don't mean absolutely anything since nobody knows the real supply.
 
The Series 4 is a massive step forward in the heath aspects and Hardware upgrades. As for the XS, for those who already own the X likely won’t be as compelled to upgrade, especially given the cost for the iPhone, it may be a ‘Turn off’ factor for that alone.
 
The watch is already the best selling wearable, they would rather use it as a selling point for their phones than sell more watches.

I am sure they want to sell more phones with the watches; but with the price of the watches getting so high now, they are probably making as much on them as they were from the phones a few years ago when they were cheaper. So they want to sell a lot more watches. When they make them compatible with Android, they will sell even more.
 
No surprise XS is seeing low demand. Anyone who escaped the punishment of the 5.8 X is not going to go there by choice.
 
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