iPhone XS Max Since iPhone loyalty is dropping. Do you think they will raise the price of this years phone?

[The-Real-Deal82]

Apple aren’t stupid. They’ve seen the impact of a £1k phone where their mid tier device (XR) is now their most popular device due to the mainstream iPhone user snubbing there XS. Raising prices will just further alienate consumers and Apple aren’t going to risk that. Companies can’t maintain high margins forever in this industry and even the mighty Apple have to adjust.

There used to be the assumption people will buy iPhones whatever they offer or cost, but that myth has been put to bed. The iPhone is still a major player, however it has competition and the XR is their strongest offering.

 

[Renho]

I bet they stay the same. But next year, you know they are raising the price of that model. Ugh

 

[Shirasaki]

I’m not sure I’d use the “in a pinch”

I just bought my first iPhone since the iPhone 4 and it wasn’t exactly quick or painless and I have Mac’s and iPad’s

But for a lot of other customers who are just buying a phone and nothing else, they are gonna switch to another platform “in a pinch” if iPhone price goes even higher.

 

[lowendlinux]

But for a lot of other customers who are just buying a phone and nothing else, they are gonna switch to another platform “in a pinch” if iPhone price goes even higher.

The problem comes with transferring data from one to the other for example WhatsApp data is a true pain to transfer. I'm not sure about WeChat and the like then there's photos, .pdf's, and other app data. While all of it is doable but it's time consuming and not fun. Personally I won't be doing it again for a while

 

[Shirasaki]

The problem comes with transferring data from one to the other for example WhatsApp data is a true pain to transfer. I'm not sure about WeChat and the like then there's photos, .pdf's, and other app data. While all of it is doable but it's time consuming and not fun. Personally I won't be doing it again for a while

And here comes the argument of those people claiming “that’s ok for me to lose all my data”, and I see quite a few around me. Tech enthusiasts and educated tech users understand the importance of data backup and won’t switch to another platform randomly. Other people, on the other hand, don’t care.
I doubt I would ever switch to Android anytime soon, similar to your decision.

 

[Abazigal]

I think the reality is that people are simply holding on to their phones longer, regardless of the price. So a lower price might not necessarily improve sales as much as people think, especially when iPhones seem to be more on the price-inelastic side of the curve.

Of course there will be a limit, but until that limit is reached, it seems natural to me that Apple would seek to maximise profits by raising prices, selling more accessories, and services to monetise their existing user base. Especially when hardware margins are actually falling, implying that part of the reason why your iPhone costs more is because it costs more to make.

TL;DR - whether iPhone prices rise or stay the same has little to do with iPhone loyalty, which I believe remains fairly high, so I don’t think Apple is particularly concerned in that regard.

 

[44267547]

I bet they stay the same. But next year, you know they are raising the price of that model. Ugh

You can’t really say that. 2020 is a ridiculous amount of time for anything to happen in between, and Apple is way to unpredictable to be making any insinuations about what they will/won’t do with prices. They’ll make adjustments based on market and investor response.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I think the reality is that people are simply holding on to their phones longer, regardless of the price. So a lower price might not necessarily improve sales as much as people think, especially when iPhones seem to be more on the price-inelastic side of the curve.

Of course there will be a limit, but until that limit is reached, it seems natural to me that Apple would seek to maximise profits by raising prices, selling more accessories, and services to monetise their existing user base. Especially when hardware margins are actually falling, implying that part of the reason why your iPhone costs more is because it costs more to make.

TL;DR - whether iPhone prices rise or stay the same has little to do with iPhone loyalty, which I believe remains fairly high, so I don’t think Apple is particularly concerned in that regard.

I think there are two main reasons why people are keeping their phones longer and that’s capability of the device and the fact phones are now more expensive than they were when the iPhone 7 came out. Carriers have introduced 3 year contracts to try and draw people in and the only reason I see for that strategy is because it drastically reduces the monthly payment. An iPhone XS on a 2 year contract in the months after it launched was around £55 p/m. That’s come down slightly but the XS Max was around £70 p/m and that tends to put people off.

You’re right people are loyal to the iPhone because it’s a pain to change quite often. However the XR and older devices are appealing and plugging the gap while higher prices continue to plateau.

 

[I7guy]

But for a lot of other customers who are just buying a phone and nothing else, they are gonna switch to another platform “in a pinch” if iPhone price goes even higher.

There are customers I suppose, who just want to check email and facebook and don't care how they get checked. For them a $150 android phone might be just the ticket. I'm not sure how many of those types of consumers there are though (although I'm sure there are some)

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

There are customers I suppose, who just want to check email and facebook and don't care how they get checked. For them a $150 android phone might be just the ticket. I'm not sure how many of those types of consumers there are though (although I'm sure there are some)

You’d be surprised to be honest.. I would say 95% of the people I know use their iPhone for the most basic tasks. Email, phone, text, social media, YouTube, calculator, safari, calendar etc. Come to think of it that’s all I really do with my iPhone! People still use iPhones for this though even though you can do all this with pretty much any phone at any price point. This is the issue with the more expensive iPhones in the range. They don’t really offer vastly more in terms of capability, but offer a nice screen, some stainless steel which is marketed as premium and they get the status of having the ‘best’ iPhone which matters to some but not the majority.

It’s a hard sell these days unless people are overly passionate about tech or money isn’t a concern. There isn’t an iPhone currently on sale that underperforms which is why people are drawn to options like the XR.

 

[I7guy]

You’d be surprised to be honest.. I would say 95% of the people I know use their iPhone for the most basic tasks. Email, phone, text, social media, YouTube, calculator, safari, calendar etc. Come to think of it that’s all I really do with my iPhone! People still use iPhones for this though even though you can do all this with pretty much any phone at any price point. This is the issue with the more expensive iPhones in the range. They don’t really offer vastly more in terms of capability, but offer a nice screen, some stainless steel which is marketed as premium and they get the status of having the ‘best’ iPhone which matters to some but not the majority.

It’s a hard sell these days unless people are overly passionate about tech or money isn’t a concern. There isn’t an iPhone currently on sale that underperforms which is why people are drawn to options like the XR.

I don't know what users use their phones for and what they don't, although I'm speculating about the word "basic". I know I use icloud sharing, airdrop etc on a regular basis, and those "basic" functions are very easy to use.

I liken the argument to cars, yet there are manufacturers that produce expensive cars that do exactly the same thing as their cheaper counterparts, albeit in a different framework. And the "framework" is the difference.

 

[macfacts]

The problem comes with transferring data from one to the other for example WhatsApp data is a true pain to transfer. I'm not sure about WeChat and the like then there's photos, .pdf's, and other app data. While all of it is doable but it's time consuming and not fun. Personally I won't be doing it again for a while

Which part of transfering WhatsApp data is a pain? You just backup and restore.

 

[lowendlinux]

Which part of transfering WhatsApp data is a pain? You just backup and restore.

If your staying on the same platform

 

[LovingTeddy]

You might be right to question the accuracy of said report.

iPhones seem to be doing quite well in q2.
Xs Max was third best selling handset during the same time period as that report, xr was number 1.


iPhone U.S. Market Share Remains Strong for Q2 2019 as iPhone XR Named Best-Selling Model During This Period
https://wccftech.com/iphone-us-market-share-q2-2019/

iPhone sales have also increased in China, India, Germany, Italy and Australia during the same quarter.

Some might be surprised when apple releases their q2 numbers at the end of the month. Feels like the iPhone X all over again.

https://iphone.appleinsider.com/art...on-year-despite-popularity-of-iphone-xr-in-us

This tells different story.

iPhone XR sales increased in China only after Apple lowered the sale price in China. See lower price help to increase iPhone sales?

 

[LovingTeddy]

The problem comes with transferring data from one to the other for example WhatsApp data is a true pain to transfer. I'm not sure about WeChat and the like then there's photos, .pdf's, and other app data. While all of it is doable but it's time consuming and not fun. Personally I won't be doing it again for a while

Oh. WeChat is easy. WeChat has its own build in chat log transfer functionality. Scan the QR code and all the data will be transferred to new phone.

Photos are easy as well. Download Google Photo and it will backup all the photos to Google Photo.

Files are easily as well. All my files are uploaded to the Google Drive. All my notes are stored with Google Keep. All my calendars are synced with Gmail.

Other app, depends on app I guess. I am not remotely concerned about app data. If there are particular app data I cannot backup, I will leave it on iPhone.

I can never stay iPhone long enough to have any significant app data. The maximum time I stayed with iPhone is about two months. After that, I switch back to my Huawei P20 and now P30.
[doublepost=1563678748][/doublepost]

And here comes the argument of those people claiming “that’s ok for me to lose all my data”, and I see quite a few around me. Tech enthusiasts and educated tech users understand the importance of data backup and won’t switch to another platform randomly. Other people, on the other hand, don’t care.
I doubt I would ever switch to Android anytime soon, similar to your decision.

Educated tech user also understand important of cross platform compatibility. I will never use any solution that limit myself to one particular platform.

This is why I never use iCloud to sync my photo, I use Google Photo. I will never use Apple’s note App, I use Google Keep. I will never use Apple Music, I use QQ Music for Asian music and Google Play Music for western music. I will never use iMessage, I use WeChat and WhatsApp mainly. I never use Apple Pay, I use my debit card, credit card, WeChat And AliPay. I don’t use Apple Watch, I brought Fitbit. I don’t have HomePod, I brought Google Home.


I think I give rough examples. I never really feel changing platform is such pain in the butt. If someone willingly to let him or herself into Apple’s wall gardens, then he or she deserved to be ripped off from Apple.

 

[kazmac]

Doesn’t matter what happens, Apple eventually raises prices on everything. I am not upgrading this year.

If the eventual notchless iPhone is over $800, I’ll just go to Android. iOS is getting on my nerves like nobody’s business.

 

[Shirasaki]

Oh. WeChat is easy. WeChat has its own build in chat log transfer functionality. Scan the QR code and all the data will be transferred to new phone.

Photos are easy as well. Download Google Photo and it will backup all the photos to Google Photo.

Files are easily as well. All my files are uploaded to the Google Drive. All my notes are stored with Google Keep. All my calendars are synced with Gmail.

Other app, depends on app I guess. I am not remotely concerned about app data. If there are particular app data I cannot backup, I will leave it on iPhone.

I can never stay iPhone long enough to have any significant app data. The maximum time I stayed with iPhone is about two months. After that, I switch back to my Huawei P20 and now P30.
[doublepost=1563678748][/doublepost]

Educated tech user also understand important of cross platform compatibility. I will never use any solution that limit myself to one particular platform.

This is why I never use iCloud to sync my photo, I use Google Photo. I will never use Apple’s note App, I use Google Keep. I will never use Apple Music, I use QQ Music for Asian music and Google Play Music for western music. I will never use iMessage, I use WeChat and WhatsApp mainly. I never use Apple Pay, I use my debit card, credit card, WeChat And AliPay. I don’t use Apple Watch, I brought Fitbit. I don’t have HomePod, I brought Google Home.


I think I give rough examples. I never really feel changing platform is such pain in the butt. If someone willingly to let him or herself into Apple’s wall gardens, then he or she deserved to be ripped off from Apple.

Yeah, you have shown your use case so well that I feel I am guilty, though I think you love yourself being ripped off by Google instead. I wonder what your choice would be by then if Google Photos, Google Calendar, Google Keep etc are all tied to Android devices only.

On the other hand, I can use iOS and its platforms in China relatively easy (at least 3 years ago), while everything Google related is blocked in China for over a decade already. So, I cannot backup my photos to Google Photos, sync Calendar events to Google Calendar, save and access files using Google Drive, without very good VPN solutions if I travel to China. I have over 7 years of various app data, app purchases and various stuff tied to my Apple ID that is either impossible or very difficult to recreate to another platform.

Compared to Android, enjoying international contents on iOS platform is a little bit easier. All I need is a new Apple ID and iTunes Gift Card, and bam, contents can be purchased. Google Account on the other hand, ties your physical location to your store region. Unless VPN is used, purchasing foreign contents or play games released in another region is tedious at the very least.

Educated tech users understand the importance of data backup, understand the importance of cross platform compatibility, and design their workflow to maximise the benefit of both worlds.

 

[Shanghaichica]

The quarterly results aren’t even out yet so any articles are premature. I don’t think Apple will reduce the prices. I think they will stay the same, or may even go up on the max due to the inclusion of the wide angle lens.

 

[Stuart6]

People going on and on about apple's customer satisfaction. As a Xs owner, I am not satisfied or impressed with it's network performance/reception, which is the most basic feature of a smartphone. I owned many iphones, and the Xs left a bad taste compared to the rest.

 

[craigio85]

They are losing customers to Android and by the sound of it, quite a lot. There can’t be anyway they raise the already high priced phones that lack the technology of their competitors. I mean how could they recover to make it to 2020 with a non exciting launch this year while already losing business!?
#LowerThePrice

https://www.google.com/amp/s/wccftech.com/iphone-brand-loyalty-drops-bankmycell-study/amp/

It never ceases to amaze me how willing people are to use any old article from any old source to make a point with absolutely zero critical thought to the flaws, limitations and biases of the information.

 

[Shirasaki]

It never ceases to amaze me how willing people are to use any old article from any old source to make a point with absolutely zero critical thought to the flaws, limitations and biases of the information.

But they do this the best: tunnel vision. Laser focused on a point whether valid or not. And critical thinking is too much for them to grasp, apparently.

 

[iScone]

Apple will continue to exploit their users for as much money as they think they can get away with. They are the same as everyone else in this regard.
[doublepost=1563699362][/doublepost]

I hope the prices don't go up even further any time soon, but if they do I'll remain loyal.

Why?

 

[jimmirehman]

with the success of the XR after dropping the price, i think they will drop prices next time around. back down to the $500-$900 range.

 

[FFR]

https://iphone.appleinsider.com/art...on-year-despite-popularity-of-iphone-xr-in-us

This tells different story.

Not really.
You didn’t click the link did you .

iPhone XR sales increased in China only after Apple lowered the sale price in China. See lower price help to increase iPhone sales?

Yes that’s true.
I hope apple “lowers” the iPhone price to $924 globally to match “lowered sale price” in China.

“For iPhones, the iPhone XR is down 4.6 percent to 6199 RMB ($923.60), reports CNBC, while the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are down 500 RMB ($74.50) each, starting as low as 8199 RMB ($1,221.58). While considerable, the price cuts still put the iPhones at a higher cost per device compared to other markets, such as the US which lists the iPhone XR at $749 before tax. “

https://iphone.appleinsider.com/art...-iphones-and-ipads-in-china-following-tax-cut


According to loving teddy “lowering” XR price from $750 to $924 “will help increase iPhone sale”.

Wasn’t apple also being boycotted in China at the time in response to the US blacklisting Huawei, and apple still managed to increase iPhone market share, even with higher prices compared to the rest of the world.

That’s kind of impressive.





Anybody else would rather pay $924 instead of $750 for an iPhone XR. /s

 

[iPhysicist]

I hope the prices don't go up even further any time soon, but if they do I'll remain loyal.

THAT! is loyality. People who switch because iOS becomes boring to them is not.