Kuo: iPhone 12 Pro Demand Higher Than Expected

[Mr. Dee]

Whoah, cool didn't know that.

imagine being the Apple store employee getting to help him buy something 😄

"uhh hello Mr. Cook. What kind of apps do you like using? How do you use your phone? Let me help you find the right product for you."

"thank you for being part of the Apple Family"

It’s fascinating and ironic at the same time. I’m sure they have prototype machines that can actually build a new iPhone, but since it’s not coming off an official assembly line it would be considered as an unfinished internal prototype not intended for production use. They likely destroy all prototypes when evaluation and testing is done and even those who are at the core of building it have to buy their iPhones, iPads and Macs too.

 

[Icaras]

Everyone keeps comparing the 12 to 12 Pro at 128GB, and everyone is right to point out the bad value there.

But at base price and not needing more than 64GB, the iPhone 12 is a fine deal. Still diminished value due to the increased price, yes, but still a fine deal if a user smartly utilizes iCloud, streams all their media, and simply doesn’t need more than 64GB. $200 difference is still $200 nonetheless, and for many, this is a better option still.

Knowing how you use your phone and what model is best suited for your own usage is key to finding value in each model in the lineup.

 

[JM]

Clearly, you aren’t familiar with the average consumer.

Average consumer is the one working retail and living on credit cards and rent, and have no problem dropping $50 a month on a $1000 phone....

sorry let me append that: not "retail". Solid lower middle income "$35000-60000" a year income for family, that doesn't do much saving, if any.

that's my take anyway.... for Americans.

 

[currocj]

I originally was torn between the pro max and the mini - the mini for the size and how it was quite an upgrade over my XR, but I really like the pro camera features. However, I ended up compromising and going for the 12 pro. I’m just starting on iPhone photography, but the Max Pro is just too big a phone. I love the size of the XR.

agreed...who wants an ipad mini mini in their pocket? I had the big 7 and from there I never went back (have an iphone XS now). I think the mini will be amazing and will be ordering 2x at 5am on 11/6. I figure the mini now and moving forward will beat out the pro from 2 years earlier. So mini 2020 camera > iphone XS 2018 camera and therefore, mini 2021 > iphone 11 pro camera. This is fine by me as I'm just snapping pix of my kids... Dolby vision 60 fps video needed? I'm good with 30 fps...

sidenote: 128gb seems cramped now, must go 256gb

 

[Zdigital2015]

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.

I currently have an iPhone XR and the size is the sweet spot for me, being smaller than my previous 6s Plus. Looking forward, an iPhone 11 is an excellent value proposition and the 12 mini is just not compelling enough compared to the 11 at this point. If I wanted to go up the chart, I skip the 12 mini and 12 and go right to the 12 Pro, which gives me the same screen size. I just couldn’t get excited about that 5.8” iPhone X, XS or 11, but the 12 Pro is going to sell like hotcakes versus the 12 this go round.

 

[CarlJ]

It's the same story every year

I've never seen an iPhone launch whose demand was lower than expected

Maybe the 5c? But it wasn’t the main phone that year, and was kind of testing the water.

 

[CarlJ]

Gonna be a lot of Pacific Blue iPhones out there Lol.

The lineup this year is very good.

Dark green last year, dark blue this year, any chance we could get a dark purple next year?

 

[polyphenol]

Obviously not 13, 12S.

Agreed that has a decent chance of coming to pass.

But, after the 12S,... ? 🙂

 

[polyphenol]

Plus, it'll be nearly invisible underwater if it lands face-down on the bottom of the pool!

How well does UWB work through water?

 

[Cosmosent]

ONLY third-party NON-Game apps have the potential to grow iPhone Unit Sales !

AAPL Fan Boys & Girls will ALWAYS be at the head of the line to get their new iPhone before their friends.

But, there are ONLY so many who are willing to shell-out $1K USD OR more for a new flagship iPhone every few years.

It's clear to me that the 12 Pro is the single best iPhone AAPL offers this year.

It's NOT clear to me that many will ante-up the $1K USD OR more needed to get one.

Time will tell ...

 

[anson42]

This is only for preorders. I think once the dust settles and more regular customers continue to purchase that over time the 12 will move ahead of the 12 Pro.

I think so, too. I am curious the sales breakdown of phones pre-ordered vs the number sold after they are stocked for each model.

 

[compwiz1202]

25 grams. 12 Pro is just that heavier than the 12.

Bearing in mind that not all those grams are because of stainless steel. Some might be for camera. No idea if RAM and storage will make a signficant difference.

Yea I don't understand either. Even Max is just over HALF a pound. How is that heavy?

 

[puckhead193]

I'm surprised at the shipping estimates. They aren't too bad if you ordered now. Wondering what the 12 Pro Max will be like. I'm assuming not has high because its the higher end of the price range..

 

[anson42]

Yea I don't understand either. Even Max is just over HALF a pound. How is that heavy?

It shouldn't, but 8oz sounds lighter than half a pound, doesn't it? 🙂 Accidentally dropping any one of these on your face while reading lying down hurts no matter what but the half pound version packs a slightly larger wallop.

 

[compwiz1202]

I’m surprised. This basically a camera upgrade in a depressed economy.

If I was going to upgrade right away, this would be my attitude for the Pro>Max. It's just incremental camera upgrades and I could save $100 and wait a month less, so I would have just picked the Pro Regular. But it's a bit more significant from 12 to Pro. You get a whole other lens, and there are other things than just the camera.
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It shouldn't, but 8oz sounds lighter than half a pound, doesn't it? 🙂 Accidentally dropping any one of these on your face while reading lying down hurts no matter what but the half pound version packs a slightly larger wallop.

Yes, I usually read it sitting up or on my side in bed.

 

[compwiz1202]

When the CEO of a company shows himself using the cheaper product in public and talks about how much he loves it... you know it isn't selling well.

I found it weird that Cook held up the blue 5c and talked about how much he loved it.

He's gets free phones. Why didn't he have the gold 5s? Silly Tim Cook.

Annoys me so badly they can't put a blue like that on the Pro already. I loved the color, but didn't want the lower end device.

 

[compwiz1202]

Plus, it'll be nearly invisible underwater if it lands face-down on the bottom of the pool!

They will need to send fishermen out off the west coast just to catch all the Pacific iPhones lost in there

 

[joshwithachance]

I prefer a lighter device. Hence 12 for me. Plus the blue is better 😉

I prefer a matte finish to glossy. It's a beautiful shade of blue for sure but it will constantly be covered in fingerprints, unlike the Pro.

 

[JM]

Annoys me so badly they can't put a blue like that on the Pro already. I loved the color, but didn't want the lower end device.

Yeah they really should have had a dark blue on the 12pro. My guess is they couldn't get a good color reproduction on the Stainless steel.

 

[PickUrPoison]

<snip>

NOT surprised the 12 Pro is doing much better than expected.

NOT surprised the 12 isn't.

I’m not surprised Kuo is revising his estimates, but it has nothing to do with Apple and its expectations.

 

[spazzcat]

Shocking since Apple removed a wall plug and EarPods! Figured this would be the worst ever according to many people.

It's almost like Apple knows what they are doing and does a huge amount of market research.

 

[UrbanJoe1]

Personally holding out for next year for some possible screen upgrades, usb-c etc. This year is nice, though, and it’s always an option. Never had a “max” sized phone so the largest is more of interest for me anyway. I’m not sure why this is hailed as “new” design as it’s form is so similar to the original iPhone 4 with sharp edges and prominent metal banding but it is upgraded & supersized of course. This is really not new design language for Apple.

 

[CyberBob859]

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.

But you can't even order the Mini yet. How will we know consumer demand until people actually have an opportunity to buy it? Apple may make an initial guess at a demand to start production and establish some inventory - which is what Kuo's data actually means - but until we see what people want, nobody really knows.

 

[MacBH928]

Apple keeps raising prices and dropping included items, but demand continues to be high if not higher. Can't blame them.

I was hoping for high demand on the mini so we have smaller screens. its just too big for me, too big. Even the mini.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am not surprised at all. I think Kuo will be wrong about the 5.4” as well. I think a lot of people will be buying for the new (return to) form factor, not to mention the blue color.