It’s not a surprise that the iPhone 8 sales isn’t doing quite so well. KGI Securities previously reported that the iPhone X is hurting the iPhone 8 sales, and now, a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) says that the iPhone 8 sales is lower than an “S” iPhone model, which usually tend to have smaller sales.
According to CIRP, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sales only accounted for 6% and 10% of iPhone sales in Apple’s fiscal quarter ending 1 October 2017. Of course, the small number is expected since the iPhone only went on sale in the U.S. for only about a week before the end of the fiscal quarter, however, sales for previous generation iPhones were notably higher.
CIRP’s report says that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus accounted for 43% of iPhone sales during the same period last year, while the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus accounted for 24% of iPhone sales in 2015; the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus had 46% sales in 2014. The report suggests that the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are more like an iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus.
“iPhone 8 and 8 Plus accounted for only 16% of total sales, compared to a 24% share for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus two years ago,” said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. “While it’s a little early to know, it appears that this even lower share relative to that earlier ‘S’ model probably resulted from some buyers delaying a purchase, we think in anticipation of the new iPhone X.”
So, in terms of consumer demand and reception, the 8 and 8 Plus have a share of total sales that makes them look much more like an ‘S’ model, while the 7 and 7 Plus was closer to the very well-received 6 and 6 Plus. This is not surprising, as the form factor remained the same, and the improvements in features were incremental and internal.”
The weak sales could be because people are waiting to get their hands on the iPhone X. However, not everyone can afford to fork out as much as RM5,899 to buy a smartphone. CIRP says that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus could continue to see strong demand, as they account for 58% of sales, much higher than sales for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in September last year.
(Source: MacRumors)
