Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

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

I ordered the XS with 256GB. I currently have a two-year-old 7, so this is the right time and right size for me. Many iPhone users do not upgrade every year! For those who have the X or X+, I understand why you may not be impressed. But I am!

I compared the sizes of the 7, XS, XR and XSMax. Others may like larger screens, but the XS screen is a big upgrade from the 7. It will also fit in my pants pocket. I have no idea how people with the larger sizes can carry them. The tech and the material in the XS seem to me superior, especially the camera. Besides, buying it over 24 months of payments, with no interest charged, make the price only a few $s more per month than the XR.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NetMage, djbuddha, Ravi_MR and 2 others
greytmom said:
I upgrade every year. Ordered the XS and expecting it on Friday. My daughter will get my X, and I will sell her 7+ (which was mine two years ago).

Been using this strategy for years.

I’ve also owned every watch. Daughter will get my Series 3, and her Series 2 goes to the good friend who bought my original Apple Watch. I’m going to keep the original. Doubt I would get much money on it, and I’ve always regretted not keeping my original iPhone. Or the iPhone 4... I loved that design!
Click to expand...

Wishing I had you as a parent...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stridr69, BigMcGuire and blairh
Black Magic said:
Maybe folks voting with their wallet will get Apple to bring the prices back down to somewhat reasonable prices. When your phone cost more than a MacBook Air and on par with a MacBook Pro, you are getting greedy.
Click to expand...
What’s wrong with the $449 iPhone 7? It was the flagship two years ago and it’s still every bit as good now as it was then. Don’t think you have to buy the newest model just to get a great phone.

The iPhone 7 is the MacBook Air of iPhones. The XS Max is the equivalent of the $2,399 MacBook Pro.
 
  • Like
Reactions: the johnmc, diandi, QCassidy352 and 5 others
I can´t believe that the SX MAX don´t have the “Face ID” available in landscape mode!
We know that, for many reasons, we have the device in landscape mode (7/8 Plus) to see several kinds of Apps like Youtube, etc. So, when some App locks, should we put it vertical position to unlock and back again to previous position?!
 
  • Like
Reactions: motulist
PhillyProf said:
I ordered the XS with 256GB. I currently have a two-year-old 7, so this is the right time and right size for me. Many iPhone users do not upgrade every year! For those who have the X or X+, I understand why you may not be impressed. But I am!

I compared the sizes of the 7, XS, XR and XSMax. Others may like larger screens, but the XS screen is a big upgrade from the 7. It will also fit in my pants pocket. I have no idea how people with the larger sizes can carry them. The tech and the material in the XS seem to me superior, especially the camera. Besides, buying it over 24 months of payments, with no interest charged, make the price only a few $s more per month than the XR.
Click to expand...
100%. Me too!
 
michial said:
Me too. Coming from an 8 Plus I thought for sure I’d need a Max. But going into the store and seeing the regular X changed my mind. The screen and battery are very close and yet the phone and weight are a bit less which is perfect for me. I can handle plus sizes easily but I like the idea of having a smaller device without sacrificing much screen or battery.
Click to expand...
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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alexmarchuk
1) Relative to the X, the XS is the least essential S year upgrade ever. So unless X buyers want a bigger screen, those buyers are not really in the upgrade market at all this year

2) The Xs Max is a good, but expensive, upgrade for 7+, 8+, and some X owners. Makes sense that it is doing well

3) The XR should be an outstanding upgrade for the tens (hundreds?) of millions of SE/6/7/8 users. However the phone isn’t out for a month, and it’s a brand new unknown model
 
  • Like
Reactions: NetMage and smulji
mrzz said:
I never understood whay one would even think (maybe except for a bigger screen) to upgrade 1yr old iphone, especially nowadays when they offer more power than usually needed.
Click to expand...
The Apple iphone upgrade program is nice. I’m a nerd and love Apple. All I have to do is pay for the taxes upfront each year and I get a new phone every year. It’s fun and I’m happy to budget it into my expenses. It’s a fun Splurge. To each his own.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AFDoc and BigMcGuire
Coming from a 6s, I wanted the xr but decided to go to the xs instead. My reason was because if the 4gb ram, processor and the oled screen. I don't upgrade every year so 4gb ram will last me at least 3-4 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: michial
That’s not what he said. The XR is cannibalizing the XS....which would be worse for Apple. the Max sales are in line with expectations. Reread.

PJS_SoCal said:
It’s an absurd statement that iPhone XS preorders are lackluster because people are opting for the iPhone XS Max instead. They are two sizes of the same product.

Regardless, it’s better for Apple if the iPhone XS Max cannibalizes sales of the iPhone XS.

We have definitely reached peak stupidity in Apple coverage.
Click to expand...
 
PJS_SoCal said:
It’s an absurd statement that iPhone XS preorders are lackluster because people are opting for the iPhone XS Max instead. They are two sizes of the same product.

Regardless, it’s better for Apple if the iPhone XS Max cannibalizes sales of the iPhone XS.

We have definitely reached peak stupidity in Apple coverage.
Click to expand...

That’s not the story though. The story is the XR is cannibalizing the XS - which indicates lower revenue and likely lower profits. The article says XS Max is doing exactly as well as expected.
 
Mr. Dee said:
But when I compare my 6s with my X, I cannot for the life of me see what is so spectacularly different between the two.
Click to expand...

Exactly right.

The iPhone 4 gave us retina.
The iPhone 4s gave us Siri and a dual-core CPU.
The iPhone 5 gave us a 4 inch screen with an HD style 16:9 aspect ratio.
The iPhone 5s gave us touch ID and a 64-bit CPU.
The iPhone 6 gave us a complete stylistic re-design that persisted through the iPhone 8.
The iPhone 6s gave us double the memory and almost double the performance of the iPhone 6.

A lot of dramatic, highly functional breakthroughs in that list.

Since then, things have slowed down.

The iPhone 7 and 8 had real but subtler, more incremental improvements. Nothing on par with the above upgrades.

The iPhone X was an interesting upgrade: for high-disposable-income "bohemian bourgeoisie" techies it was a big step forward in fashion with a full frontal OLED display (though LCD was great too), Face ID (though Touch ID worked really well), and "portrait mode" that let one take stylized portraits ala Apple commercials, if one had ever been interested in that.

But from a less avant-grade, less fashion-centric point of view, there was simply nothing about the iPhone X that represented a significant, practical advance.

Indeed, there hasn't been any really big practical leap forward since the iPhone 6s with its massive performance increase.


My wonderful friend/girlfriend has offered to buy me an iPhone excess Max, but like you, the "why not not waste money" side of me thinks the 6S plus will practically be just fine for another year or two for my very demanding but less bohemian needs.

It will not be easy to live without built-in bokeh, but with prayer and fasting, and the support of loving friends and family, I will survive. ;)


Postscript: If google can make android one work, offering a highly secure, multi-year-update android platform, this lack of dramatic practical innovation could cause some strategic problems down the road. Though Apple will still have the enormous privacy advantage over anything android.
 
  • Like
Reactions: johnhackworth, Someyoungguy, jeremiah256 and 4 others
My X does everything I need in a form factor that I like. Give me a great deal where I can upgrade for $100-$200 and I'll go for the XS. Max is too big for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: clunkmess
Finnaqua said:
I can´t believe that the SX MAX don´t have the “Face ID” available in landscape mode!
We know that, for many reasons, we have the device in landscape mode (7/8 Plus) to see several kinds of Apps like Youtube, etc. So, when some App locks, should we put it vertical position to unlock and back again to previous position?!
Click to expand...
They would would have to completely re-engineer the phone to get face id to work in any orientation. For the handful of people that would care about such a feature, it isn't worth the effort. I've only seen the occasional person complain about the lack of face id in landscape, and that's only here.
 
redheeler said:
It's not a bad phone. It's a good phone being sold at a bad price.
Click to expand...

Nah. If they had equipped it with last-gen tech like the A11 (which I totally expected them to do), I would agree. But no, it's the Full A12, chipset, Face ID, form factor, and camera tech (wide) compliment. Aside from OLED (which is genuinely expensive tech), 3D touch, and one less camera... you're really not giving up much from the XS (which has a smaller screen even) that is $250 more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G3Blue, PickUrPoison and WannaGoMac
WannaGoMac said:
Just FYI, no iPhone ever came with a 10w charging brick, its been 5w since the first one.
Click to expand...
I think this one is with iPhone 6s but its not a us unit
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 220
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: jpn
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back