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More money for last years tech is just a double whammy. And now the old phones don’t get the latest CPU.. it’s not really appealing… is it?

I think Apple got a bit too greedy this year. I mean they do most years, but this year was worse than usual. Tech is tech.. they deliver the goods we pay the money.. but you can’t change that formula much.
 
I think this is because:
  • 90%+ of pre-orders on launch day are for the 14 Pro/Pro Max as these are the enthusiasts who must have the best — the mini was actually somewhat something that was desired by this same market
  • Later launch date than the other models, meaning if you want something for launch day, you won't get it
I have a feeling that the Plus will sell really well on contracts or when people come to upgrade as and when. The battery life is going to be insane.
This.

14 isnt a big jump from the 13/12 and will likely see purchases from ‘it’s time to get a new iPhone to replace my iPhone 11/XR/8’ ie from those who just want a modern iPhone.

The plus may be a little too expensive to buy outright. But on contract or AppleCare+ it’s likely to do well, as this poster above said.

The bigger screen and battery life will be a huge draw once the reviews are in & people see it in person. I’m convinced this is going to be a sleeper hit.

The huge amount of Pro preorders are easy to work out - it’s the massive camera upgrade from those who reply care about having the best camera plus the nice lux feature of the always on display.
 
I’m skeptical on many fronts. I’m sure it’s possible that Kuo has some way to survey sales, but not whether Apple considers it a “failure”.

And the iPhone line is definitely mature at this point. Sure there are early adopters who get on launch day, but Apple must be smart enough to know that launch day preorders wouldn’t be a great measure of product success for a mature product like an iPhone.


For those calling for less frequent updates, it’s fine that they iterate a little each year if they can, they just can’t expect actual customers to buy year over year. The iPhone upgrade program makes that possible, but not worth it for everyone. A lot more important here is whether the average person walks into a store and feels like they have a good choice if they look at iPhones.

Finally, reiterating a point made on ATP, as a mature product, the iPhone should start serving niches to grow (like the mini or the non pro max), rather than counting on a few models to be home runs every year. For example, while the mini was written off as a failure, lots of companies would have loved that business- Apple just considered it a failure compared to other iPhones.
 


The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have seen "bad" pre-order results, indicating that Apple's positioning of the two new standard models may have failed, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iphone-14-iphone-14-plus-in-hand.jpg

In his latest post on Medium, Kuo explained that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have seen "neutral" and "good" pre-order results compared to the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Delivery wait times of more than four weeks may indicate good demand for the new high-end devices. It is apparently "unclear" whether Apple will increase shipment forecasts of its Pro models, but there is a "growing" chance that it will cut orders of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, which currently account for around 45 percent of the entire lineup's shipments.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are expected to be in stock in retail stores on their launch dates, "reflecting lackluster demand." As it stands, Kuo says that the pre-order results for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are worse than those of the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini. He noted that Apple cut orders of both the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini in the first half of 2022 due to low demand.

If demand for the two standard models do not improve, Apple may cut iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus orders as soon as November. Suppliers who are not major beneficiaries of Apple's iPhone 14 Pro models will likely see the start of declining revenue in September and October as a result.

For iPhone 14 Plus, in particular, the "pre-order result is significantly lower than expected." As a model that effectively replaces the "mini" form factor in the latest iPhone lineup, with 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch display sizes now being the only options, Kuo said that "Apple's product segmentation strategy for standard models fails this year."

All four of the iPhone 14 models were announced by Apple last week and have been available to pre-order since September 9. The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max are set to launch on Friday, September 16, and the iPhone 14 Plus will launch on Friday, October 7.


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

Well, higher price but same spec as last year’s model, people are not stupid.
Does anyone remember when iPhones didn't require mortgage or for Apple to offer payment plans?
iPhones are now like cars. Change is incremental.
 
Apple is becoming too convoluted and is way over thinking this. I feel like they think they can slap ‘new iPhone’ on anything and call it good. There are basically two types of people. Those who need the best and will get the 14 pro. And those who just need ‘a phone’. Why wouldn’t you get a SE or a discounted 13 if all you need is a recentish phone? This whole ordeal is baffling. Would it really kill Apple to have 5 devices spread out over 3 sizes? 14 Pro Max 6.7, 14 Pro 6.1, 14 plus 6.7, and a mini/se at 5.4. Then keep last years ‘13’ base non pro 6.1 as your ‘cheap just need a phone that isn’t android’ option. Rinse and repeat every year.
 
I don't buy the "it's good because people are buying the more expensive models" argument. I don't think there's a shift in proportion with equal sales. Pro models are in line with expectations but the Plus is doing below expectation.
 
They FAILED because I opted to not upgrade a total 5 iPhones in my very own household this year as well. Glad I contributed to this failure. I dont want a $hitty no sim card tray brick to carry around. Being a minority of Americans who travel beyond the mainland, I'd like the option of a sim card tray when not every carrier and their mom offers your stupid esim throat forced concept yet on prepaid. Maybe in 5 years sure, but not now. I do not want your propaganda concept to pay ridiculous roaming charges and crappy internet when I am abroad to US carriers.
 
Well, the store was down with people who were desperate for the Pro models. I'd give it a few weeks before passing judgement. In any case, I don't expect sales to go so well, when the 13 is out there for less, and a 12 Pro (still around, in some places) is a better buy than the 14 Plus.
 
No duh. For an extra $100/$200 you can get the better Pro device.

Job well done, Apple. You’ve normalized the $1000 iPhone.
I'd take the 6.7" Plus over the 6.1" Pro any day. Much bigger screen for less money? That's a no-brainer.

As for Plus vs Max, it depends on budget and desired feature set. I was going to get the wife the Plus, but she got upsold by the camera marketing so I'm getting her the Max.
 
The answer in my case and I’m betting many others is if you didn’t upgrade to the pro and get Dynamic Island, it didn’t even seem like you were getting a new phone.

In fact, I even upgraded to the 14PM from my iPone 12 so it now seems like I really am getting a new phone to look forward to.
 
Too expensive (especially in Europe).
Not enough to differentiate from the iPhone 12. Maybe even not enough from the 11 series.

While I'm not glad to see iPhones have low demand, I can't say I'm particularly surprised. However, with the economy the way it is and supply lines still recovering from COVID, I don't blame people for being ho-hum about the new iPhones.

I'll almost certainly be keeping my 13 mini for another year unless something unexpected occurs.
 
I see a lot of people complaining about the price. But it looks like people are forgetting exchange rates and now the USD is stronger and is causing prices to go up for countries outside of US. The Euro has fallen dramatically and will cause prices to rise. It’s not just Apple doing it for the heck of it. Why would you raise prices for no reason knowing it could hinder buyers from purchasing?
 
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