iPhone 11 Pro Why iPhones don’t sell out on day 1 like few years ago?

[MCube74]

Today 5 hrs after pre-order in Hong Kong iPhone 11 Pro can still be order and delivered on 20th Or 21st Sept.

It was not the case a couple of years ago when iPhones would be sold out in 10 to 15 mins.

Actually since iPhone X sales have not been the same as before.

What is Apple doing wrong for not being able to sell as well as in the past?

 

[Waterman316]

Either better supply, less demand, or a mix of both.

 

[aneftp]

This is essentially the third body style year of the X, XS, and iphone 11 pro 5.8 model.
This is the second year of the iphone XS max/iphone 11 pro max body style

Last year iphone XS MAX sold out quickly cause it was "new", this year only the midnight green sold out quickly cause it was "new".

 

[penajmz]

Well iPhones are at a point where people don't need to update all the time, iPhones are lasting 3+ years. Mostly hardcore fans update every year and then the people with like a 6s or 7.

 

[unknownx]

iPhones only sell out fast when new phones come out.
Like 4, 5, 6, X
All others phones are just the same as the previous but better internal, therefor not the same demand imo

 

[Arndroid]

Most people not only have a smart phone but have been using one for some time. The urgency and newness is just not there for the majority of the marketplace.

 

[slippery-pete]

Simple;better supply and less demand.

 

[MCube74]

Apple releases new models once a year.

Yes wend they used to introduce the S models the sales dropped but then the iPhone 11 Pro really should have received a new look.

They expect people to spend $1300 every year then at least they should have a new look after iPhone X and iPhone XS.

We have to spend another $1300 next year for that.

I think that could be the reason for a slow response this year.

Apple will start to pay tariffs for iPhones soon. They were hoping for strong sales. Sadly it will not be the case.

 

[Juicy Box]

I posted in a recent thread asking about why the attitude of people toward new iPhone launches has changed.

While the OP isn't asking the same exact question, I think the reasoning could be partically explained by my post:

Apple under Jobs had an aggressive iPhone update schedule which just isn't present under Cook, and this make many iPhone fans unhappy, imo.

After the original iPhone, there was a product cycle of redesign one year and feature heavy update the next. I think this started to change beginning with the iPhone 6s, as its biggest feature turned out to be kind of a flop (3D Touch).

2nd Gen Design:
3G - Redesign
3GS - Speed! many internal upgrades with a focus on performance, along with improved camera, which becomes standard for every "s" model year

3rd Gen Design:
4 - Redesign (the most beautiful and unique design, imo)
4s - Siri and Retina Display!

4th Gen Design:
5 - Redesign
5s - Security! Touch ID was a big feature for this year

5th Gen Design:
6 - Redesign
6s - 3D Touch?! First year that the big feature wasn't really that big
7 - No Redesign! Hardly an "s" model upgrade. Minor improves that are expected, and the best upgrades are on the Plus size only, Oh, and losing some key features such as headphone jack
8 - Wireless charging, glass back! The real "s" model of the iPhone 6, just two years late. The aggregate of new features of the 6s, 7, and 8 should have been the 6s.

6th Gen Design:
X - Redesign
XS - Upgrades that one would expect, but no big feature
XR - A new model?? Kinda of new, but basically the X without OLED display
11 - The "s" of XR, without a big feature
11 Pro - basically the 3rd generation of the X, with the camera being the big feature, but something that was expected in the past.

To sum up, the iPhone redesign and "s" cycle upgrade was messed up with the iPhone 6 design and could really be seen with the iPhone 7 launch. This was around when the excitement left the forums and the new iPhone articles in the news no longer made front page.

Some of that came back with the X, but going into the third year with what is basically an upgraded iPhone X, people are disappointed, or just don't care anymore.

The other part of the answer that is missing is that Apple has gotten better with the logistics involving the acquisition of components, assembling those components, and moving units where they need to be at the right time.

 

[MCube74]

Most people not only have a smart phone but have been using one for some time. The urgency and newness is just not there for the majority of the marketplace.

It is also the global economy. It’s quite bad worldwide.

It is easy to spend money with a credit card. The sad thing is that many don’t realize that the payments have to be made eventually.

In China it’s a different story because many people buy such phones in cash. This year even the sales in China look bad.

It’s may be because of lack of 5G. 5G is already available in China.

 

[satchow]

Demand has been spread out over 3 different phones (11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Plus Max Championship Edition).

Most importantly two of the phones are $1000+.

 

[bodonnell202]

I also think it is a combination of better initial supply, along with less demand as people are hanging onto their iPhones longer. That and I think fewer people are pre-ordering these days as it seems many people are waiting for them to be in stores so they can try them out before making a decision...

 

[Zetaprime]

Today 5 hrs after pre-order in Hong Kong iPhone 11 Pro can still be order and delivered on 20th Or 21st Sept.

It was not the case a couple of years ago when iPhones would be sold out in 10 to 15 mins.

Actually since iPhone X sales have not been the same as before.

What is Apple doing wrong for not being able to sell as well as in the past?

Not true. I ordered at 8am EDT when they started taking orders and got Sept 27-Oct 1 delivery. That means they sold out in seconds.

 

[MrAperture]

So many different flavors this year. Now the X body is on its 3rd revision, XS and Xr bodies are on their 2nd revision so production is way more efficient now as well.

 

[AXone1814]

Probably a combination of less hype due to the smart phone design and technology having plateaued a lot and the fact that there are more models available now, with the Max/Plus variants and the XR, SE etc. More choice usually means less demand for one single product.

 

[MCube74]

Apple release new phones annually.

Within the year there are lots of market changes.

This way Apple is always playing catch up.

1) late in proving OLED screens. Hell they are still providing LCD screen for the cheap iPhone 11

2) iOS needed new features sooner or a new look

3) USB-C should have been provided with iPhone 11 Pro.

4) wireless charging came in late when other phones were able to have the feature 2 to 3 years before the iPhone

5) 3 to 4 cameras were available early last year.


Apple is just playing catch up. That is why a new form factor should have been used with iPhone 11.

 

[Maclver]

Was surprised to see models still avaiable for delivery and pick up on the 20th (Tulsa, Ok).

 

[DravenGSX]

Hmm.. the model I ordered was sold out in less than 7 minutes.

 

[MCube74]

Next year more foldable phones will be available again Apple will have to play catch up.

Apple should think about releasing a new phone ever 6 months.

These way they will have 2 phones every year. Similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S and Note series.

 

[quagmire]

I posted in a recent thread asking about why the attitude of people toward new iPhone launches has changed.

While the OP isn't asking the same exact question, I think the reasoning could be partically explained by my post:


The other part of the answer that is missing is that Apple has gotten better with the logistics involving the acquisition of components, assembling those components, and moving units where they need to be at the right time.

Good analysis.

Before iUP, I was upgrading every 2 years( on the revolutionary cycle, not S cycle). I still went 6 Plus to 7 Plus, but that is when my frustration built as I got spoiled by the new design every two years. The X design really was the biggest change for iPhone since the 4/5. Looks like Apple has shifted to a new chassis design every 4 years now( pending 2020 iPhone).

Though honestly the X chassis design has aged a lot better than the 6 chassis design. It still looks gorgeous.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I hold my phone longer now. The need to have the latest and greatest all the time are gone. I have a 7 now and getting the 11, but I did enroll in iUP, so who knows now.

 

[aFlockaCgulz]

Today 5 hrs after pre-order in Hong Kong iPhone 11 Pro can still be order and delivered on 20th Or 21st Sept.

It was not the case a couple of years ago when iPhones would be sold out in 10 to 15 mins.

Actually since iPhone X sales have not been the same as before.

What is Apple doing wrong for not being able to sell as well as in the past?

Wait til next year, which analysts believe to be a "super cycle." There will be many more people upgrading then.

In the meantime, with carrier subsidies done away with, many people are holding onto their device longer than the usual two years. And this is easier to do than ever since the smartphone market has reached maturity.

Plus, I'm betting Apple has made their supply chain more efficient after over a decade of iPhone launches.

 

[aka777]

Next year more foldable phones will be available again Apple will have to play catch up. Apple should think about releasing a new phone ever 6 months.
These way they will have 2 phones every year. Similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S and Note series.

Samsungs Y-o-Y sales are even worse. Global handset sales have peaked and people just don't care about incremental updates anymore.

I'll never buy another Samsung handset, when I know that only a year or two later, the software updates almost stop. At least with apple, I will get 4+years out of a handset. As in, they will update their software to the latest, released the same day as the newest handset, for over 4 years.

 

[The Game 161]

Because the market is different now...and for many iPhone users their phone is lasting long

 

[JohnnyQuest]

I'm not complaining