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Well I also think "Kuo" might be off about the iPhone Mini percentages coming up.

He knows the supply chain etc, I am sure, but he already is saying he was wrong about the 12 vs 12 Pro with a lot more of the more expensive 12 pro selling. He now says the mini will represent 15% only? I am doubting that. I think there has been a lot of people wanting a smaller powerful iPhone. That mini is VERY tempting. Big screen and small form factor. Very nice. Some people will really go wild for that one, and it's great that Apple is offering such a wide variety this time around.

More consumers wanting the Pro suggests people want more camera features and don't mind the weight. The mini is the opposite of that. Fewer camera features and a smaller display.

iPhone 12 mini doesn't even have dual physical SIM. That feature is a must have for Chinese customers.
 
Kuo also downgraded his expectations for the iPhone 12 Mini with estimates that it will be responsible for only 10-15% of sales (down from 20-25%). Kuo cites weak demand for the smaller device in the Chinese market.
Well, not just the Chinese market, but basically all Asian market.
We have $100 phones with 6.5" screens. Many of the populations only have their smartphones as their computing screen, using that one device for entertainment to online meetings and classes. The mini will only be popular in western developed countries where people already have a regular larger screen device (laptop, tablet, etc), and the growth of that market is miniscule.
 
Curiously and because of COVID-19, there are many who have more money on their hands that otherwise would be spent on travels, restaurants and partying. So if you saved on these budgets post, it stands to reason to buy a little luxury in form of a "Pro".

Kuo says the iPhone 12 Pro: "demand from China accounts for 35–45% of the global demand."

This is more about the strong Chinese economy which has recovered rather than global demand.
 
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I'm surprised he expects such weak demand for the 12 Mini. I guess people like me are in a minority, so it's a good thing I'm not in the business of designing things that cater to consumer tastes.

There are only so many # of consumers in the world. If the # consumers buying 12 Pro exceeds expectations, the mini and Max will likely be lower than expected.
 
"iPhone 12 Pro Demand Higher Than Expected"

The small 2200 mAh battery in the 12 mini won't help matters.

I doubt the battery is the issue here With the Mini, it’s likely the smaller display. Even so, Apples product line with the iPhone is so expansive, there’s a model/price point for everyone, it’s no longer about two options anymore.
 
Good for the ASP, was expecting it go down a lot with the XR/11 still being available at 499/599

Kuo in his report actually says the iPhone 11 price cut affected iPhone 12 sales. He believes many consumers are choosing between iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 Pro.
 
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I think Kuo is missing some vital points in the analytics so far. My predictions are:

People wanting the Pro versions, already knows everything about it, and want it asap. The sales numbers will start high, but then overtaken by the non-Pro versions. People wanting the non-Pro versions, are not as fast to purchase.

The iPhone 12 mini, will start slow, and then expand rapidly, mainly by word of mouth, people seeing it in others hands, and in stores. Just like it happened with the iPhone XR.

I personally have high hopes for the iPhone 12 mini. And I am getting one myself. Glad to see that great features are possible in small phones once again. I had an iPhone 11 Pro Max, and hated the size, couldn't fit in my front pocket. And I looked like a total douchebag. I then bought the iPhone SE (2020), and love it.

The iPhone 12 mini is the full feature version, with FaceID, and a great design. This is exactly what the iPhone SE (2020) should have been.
 
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Wow, Kuo is seriously having a bad month. EVERYONE has been aware that the iPhone 12Pro would be a high seller..apparently everyone but him! 🤦‍♂️
 
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I believe the 6.1" 12 and 12 pro are too close to each other in terms of price and features.
Assuming you're not going for the base storage one, just a little more money gets you the telephoto lens, lidar, brighter screen (seems to me to be a software thing), RAW editing (software) and maybe a slightly sturdier (though heftier) frame.

I think the mini won't be too popular this year (mostly because of the price point) but very popular next year when people spread the word about how handy a smaller phone is.
 
I think Kuo is missing some vital points in the analytics so far. My predictions are:

People wanting the Pro versions, already knows everything about it, and want it asap. The sales numbers will start high, but then overtaken by the non-Pro versions. People wanting the non-Pro versions, are not as fast to purchase.

The iPhone 12 mini, will start slow, and then expand rapidly, mainly by word of mouth, people seeing it in others hands, and in stores. Just like it happened with the iPhone XR.

I personally have high hopes for the iPhone 12 mini. And am getting one myself. Glad to see that great features are possible in small phones once again. I had an iPhone 11 Pro Max, and hated the size, couldn't fit in my front pocket. And I looked like a total douchebag. I then bought the iPhone SE (2020), and love it.

The iPhone 12 mini is the full feature version, with FaceID, and a great design. This is exactly what the iPhone SE (2020) should have been.

If you look at last year, Kuo reported the iPhone 11 outsold the iPhone 11 Pro during launch weekend. This year, it's the opposite. That's a significant change and he now believes the 12 and 12 Pro will sell in similar quantities for the rest of the year.
 
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Kuo cited the 12 Mini would have weaker demand in the Chinese market, Even so, I think consumers have spoken, they want larger displays and bigger batteries, I can’t imagine any other reason why the Mini wouldn’t be sought after being consumers have migrated To being accustomed to having larger phones for viewing content. I think the mini will do well, but for a smaller segment demographic that want a smaller display and less battery life.

I am torn between a battery replacement for my original SE and the mini. The mini has some serious problems for me: no touchid and the way taller screen means I could forgot using it with one hand. I am not that much interested in the cameras, 5g and cpu, I have my ipad with me almost always, I need a small device to do phone things on it and some quick reading while on public transport, which mostly means only one free hand. Maybe I'll sit this out until the watch will be usable with a ipad and capable of replacing a phone.
 
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The majority of people aren’t changing their phones each year, not even each two years and they want to future proof their phones for at least 3 to 4 years before upgrading to a newer one.

Stainless steel, more ram and a better camera setup helps with that and apparently they have no problem paying the price difference.

I agree. I think during the iPhone 4,5,6 years people were happier to upgrade to the next generation of phones if you discount the “S” years.

Today if you have a 2017 iPhone X like I do then the 12 seems like a worthy upgrade but you still could wait another year and get the 12s/13.

Personally I’m getting the ProMax because I want a bigger screen and I probably won’t upgrade after the 12 until the 14 or 15 comes out.
 
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I think a lot of people out there still see the iPhone as a status symbol and want the very best. I remember Apple themselves underestimated this when the 5C came out. I believe sales were way lower than expected compared to flagship 5S.
Although, as a counterexample to this, I believe the XR outsold expectations last year. So I dunno.

It would be great though, if for just one year, Apple made their entire iPhone lineup exactly the same except for size, and marketed all the phones equally, and reported the sales of each size, just so we can finally get a precise reading on what people prefer. Although price would be a tricky variable. Can’t really price them the same since they’re different sizes.

Well I’m 0 for 2 in this post.
 
The majority of people aren’t changing their phones each year, not even each two years and they want to future proof their phones for at least 3 to 4 years before upgrading to a newer one.

Stainless steel, more ram and a better camera setup helps with that and apparently they have no problem paying the price difference.

It also helps that there are carrier and Apple deals on trade-ins.
 
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People coming from X or 8 or 7 world probably see this as an upgrade and those coming from XS Max & 11 Pro Max world look at 12 Pro sort of compromise in terms of screen size. While 12 Pro Max is too much for yearly upgrades or even two or three years upgrades if you have already spent $1000 upwards in the last two or three years!
 
I am torn between a battery replacement for my original SE and the mini.

I think you are gonna love FaceID, and seeing a great benefit of no wasted space on the phone size (all screen). Of cause this is not taking the Covid19 and face masks issue in consideration, that makes FaceID suck big time. But at some point the world will get back to "normal".
 
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This is specifically about the Pro vs the non-pro. So in this case non-pro demand was lower than expected.

arn
To be fair, this also seems to happen each year. Kuo definitely had the same report last year about 11 Pro demand, and fairly sure the year before it was the XS Max (i.e. top-end iPhone) that was higher than expected. Seems logical that the high-end models are pre-ordered most as they probably cater to the enthusiasts more that the 'standard' models.
 
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I think a lot of people out there still see the iPhone as a status symbol and want the very best. I remember Apple themselves underestimated this when the 5C came out. I believe sales were way lower than expected compared to flagship 5S.
Although, as a counterexample to this, I believe the XR outsold expectations last year. So I dunno.

It would be great though, if for just one year, Apple made their entire iPhone lineup exactly the same except for size, and marketed all the phones equally, and reported the sales of each size, just so we can finally get a precise reading on what people prefer. Although price would be a tricky variable. Can’t really price them the same since they’re different sizes.

Well I’m 0 for 2 in this post.
If Apple did that it would only be a snapshot; we’d know what people wanted for about an hour! Then back to where we are now.
 
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To be fair, this also seems to happen each year. Kuo definitely had the same report last year about 11 Pro demand, and fairly sure the year before it was the XS Max (i.e. top-end iPhone) that was higher than expected. Seems logical that the high-end models are pre-ordered most as they probably cater to the enthusiasts more that the 'standard' models.

No, last year's "first weekend" report indicated iPhone 11 outsold the 11 Pro.
 
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