Kuo: iPhone 14 Plus Pre-Orders Worse Than iPhone 13 Mini, Product Strategy 'Fails'

[gpat]

Last April stats came out indicating that the top four sellers in the world were iPhones, the 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, and the 12. The SE was 8th or something. The mini didn't even make the top 10 list. By Apple standards, its sales were absolutely abysmal.

It's no surprise the mini has been deleted. Basically nobody wanted it.

At the time, Apple made the Mini because that way they could push the regular 12 price up by $100.
They didn't actually care about making a mini phone, that's delusional.
So the Mini actually served well Apple's purpose.
This time they did the opposite by making a more expensive Plus, no wonder it's not working out.

 

[EugW]

At the time, Apple made the Mini because that way they could push the regular 12 price up by $100.
They didn't actually care about making a mini phone, that's delusional.
So the Mini actually served well Apple's purpose.
This time they did the opposite by making a more expensive Plus, no wonder it's not working out.

That's some mighty revisionist thinking.

 

[gpat]

That's some mighty revisionist thinking.

People were thinking this on day one of the 12/12mini strategy.
Truth is, people don't care that much about a smaller/bigger screen.
They'll take the mid size most of the time, and Apple picked a good size at 6.1".
Bigger phones make sense if you need that space to put more features in, like more advanced cameras that couldn't fit otherwise.
The era of bigger for bigger's sake is over.

 

[indiekiduk]

I doubt the strategy was to outsell the mini with the plus. It's more likely they can't make enough 14 of any model so have gone with keeping more old gen than ever, e.g. 12, 13. The new $599 price of the 12 is a great value (originally $799) and is really only missing a couple of software features like cinematic mode and photo styles. 64GB is fine for the average person.

 

[ssledoux]

SE
13 Mini
14
14 Pro
14 Pro Max

Would be a complete lineup everybody could enjoy.
And you could still remove the SE in favor of the Mini.
That's right, without the 14 Plus. Completely redundant product.

I think a good lineup would be a single phone with the best features they have to offer, in the lighter aluminum. It would come in all 3 sizes, with under screen fingerprint as well as face ID, full screen, etc., and eliminate the SE completely. They could be cheaper than pros because they wouldn’t have SS.

Maybe the smallest couldn’t have 3 camera lenses, but otherwise, they’d be the same.

mini
regular
max

Just my 2 cents.

 

[CrazyForCashews]

Kinda too early to say no?

 

[Retskrad]

-

 

[klasma]

Yeah, don’t forget the inflation, and the exchange rate of the dollar!! That price hike is NOT on Apple.

What is on Apple is that even after factoring in the current exchange rates and taxes and fees, Apple’s prices are still about 10% higher in Europe than the US.

 

[Sasparilla]

Calling it a failure at this point seems just a bit premature, lol. Would not be suprised to see numbers go down this year - but you've got the economies everywhere with inflation going crazy, a war in Europe, Russia turned off, besides the fact the 13 was a really big selling iPhone, the back to normal after the 12's 5G conversion (we did the whole family and won't be upgrading this year).

If I were buying one I'd go for the 14 plus (from a 13), but will wait for the 15 at least.

 

[User 6502]

Adjusting for inflation, iPhone prices aren't necessarily as bad as they've been in the past e.g., back in 2011, the U.S. price of an iPhone 4S ranged from $649 (16GB) to $849 (64GB). In today's dollars, that would be around $850 to over $1,100.

You can get a better, larger 128GB iPhone 14 today for $829 USD. That's less than the inflation adjusted price of a 16GB 3.5" display 4S.

Sure, iPhones may have gotten more expensive at the upper end (Pro and Pro Max) but those levels of iPhones simply didn't exist years ago. No one is forced to go with a Pro or Pro Max.

The pro levels have always existed, they just weren’t called with this silly name. iPhone 4S was the best phone if the lineup at the time, so it was essentially the iPhone ‘pro’ of that year. The price of the flagship model has increased massively since the introduction of the ‘pro’ label, but that doesn’t mean a flagship model did not exist before.

 

[gerlitzappel]

I would buy an iPhone mini Pro

 

[EugW]

People were thinking this on day one of the 12/12mini strategy.
Truth is, people don't care that much about a smaller/bigger screen.
They'll take the mid size most of the time, and Apple picked a good size at 6.1".
Bigger phones make sense if you need that space to put more features in, like more advanced cameras that couldn't fit otherwise.
The era of bigger for bigger's sake is over.

Of course they care about the size of the screen. That's exactly why nobody bought the mini.

And it's not as if Apple is selling 7.5" iPhones. The Plus is 6.7", a very, very popular size amongst the masses.

 

[carinobtl]

If I were to buy a new Pro Max iPhone this year it would be wise to purchase the 13 Pro Max (better be preloved or refurbished). I would love to have the Dynamite Island but with 250€ price increase in Germany or Austria, and the looming increase in electricity/heating costs this winter, iPhone 14 series is a hard buy. I‘m really hoping Apple will wake up with their EU pricing.

 

[mrj101]

I think the 14 plus will be very popular once it’s a available. I think the late release date has hurt sales.

 

[Retskrad]

Apple knows that iPhone is no longer a growth product. They know that the stock will crash hard if iPhone revenue drops year over year and that means they'll lose top talent. As a result, Apple is desperate and trying dumb ****, like releasing the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus. I think Apple knows the iPhone can't be cool forever so they're doing all they can do keep the ship afloat.

 

[magicschoolbus]

It’s the same phone as last year.. consumers are not stupid Apple.

 

[gpat]

Of course they care about the size of the screen. That's exactly why nobody bought the mini.

And it's not as if Apple is selling 7.5" iPhones. The Plus is 6.7", a very, very popular size amongst the masses.

Then again, this article's title would like to have a talk with your theory.

 

[bob24]

The mini shouldnt have been made as the “cheapest new iphone” with the 12 and 13. The niche market are mostly people who want the small iphone with the three best camera’s.. not the people who think give me the smallest because its the cheapest.

Some people definitely would like this - but it isn’t consensus. With the pro camera, mini phones would get heavier and have a larger and deeper bump on their back corner.

I count myself as someone who wants smaller phones because they are smaller (not because they are cheaper) and I am willing to pay more money for better features in a small phone. But if a feature is going to make the phone significantly larger/heavier/unergonomic or to hit the battery life too much (as I suspect ProMotion would with the current tech), then I think it is better to be left out.

 

[EugW]

Then again, this article's title would like to have a talk with your theory.

As has been mentioned by many in this thread already, what happens every year is that the launch sales skew somewhat toward the Pro models, but by the end of the year the non-Pro is the best seller. I suspect the same will happen this year, but overall sales will be poorer than most years, because of a looming recession and worldwide currency devaluations against the USD.

Some people definitely would like this - but it isn’t consensus. With the pro camera, mini phones would get heavier and have a larger and deeper bump on their back corner.

I count myself as someone who wants smaller phones because they are smaller (not because they are cheaper) and I am willing to pay more money for better features in a small phone. But if a feature is going to make the phone significantly larger/heavier/unergonomic or to hit the battery life too much (as I suspect ProMotion would with the current tech), then I think it is better to be left out.

Nothing wrong with liking the mini, but it made no sense from a sales perspective for Apple to keep it in the lineup. Its sales were terrible, despite the fact it was cheaper.

 

[cpnotebook80]

The pros of Apple products is that their iphones(and most products they put out) are durable to last more than a year. Not everyone has disposable income to upgrade to a new device frequently. nothing is wrong for 90% of the public using iphone x-iphone 13. The con is where apple is trying to keep the coffers filled with yearly upgrades but i think we reached a plateau on upgrade cycles for the ipads and iphones. We dont replace our cars every year with a new model!. Perhaps a 2 year cycle upgrade with a real innovative change on the iphone is what we need. Maybe focus one year on laptop upgrades and next year on the mobile products. My family members use iphone 8 to iphone 12 and nothing is broke.

 

[gpat]

Apple knows that iPhone is no longer a growth product. They know that the stock will crash hard if iPhone revenue drops year over year and that means they'll lose top talent. As a result, Apple is desperate and trying dumb ****, like releasing the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus. I think Apple knows the iPhone can't be cool forever so they're doing all they can do keep the ship afloat.

Apple keynotes sound like even at Apple they have been bored by their own iPhones for the last 2 years at least.
This really needed to be the year of the foldable.
In 2017 they released the "boring" iPhone 8 and put the all-new X next to it.
5 years later, they had to release the "boring" 14 and put a foldable next to it.

 

[ElCidRo]

Why buy a 14 Plus when you can get a 13 Pro Max for the same money (while inventory lasts)

 

[easy4lif]

Apple needs to thin out its selection, it’s what nearly killed the company back in the 90s.

One regular model 6in, one pro 6.3in, and one ultra 6.9in

 

[Steve121178]

In Europe, they are much, much more expensive. Probably reached a tipping point for some people.

It's the same issue with the MacBook Air M2. Pricing is insane compared to the M1. Apple are just too greedy and consumers will vote with their wallets.

 

[Mixindave]

I agree the phone models are pretty much the same. And I believed it was the CEO that mentioned in an interview he can’t tell the difference between his 8 models and all these new ones rolling out. I have the 12 min figuring I’ll save a few extra bucks but with this 48mp camera coming out I had to jump at the 14pro model. Plus only gonna cost me $11 more monthly. So triple the storage better camera, bio chip. I think $11 more is a fair deal for this.