Stats show constrained supply might have affected sales

Dec 27, 2017 10:02 GMT  ·  By

Before the launch of the iPhone X, analysts estimated that Apple’s anniversary model could substantially impact sales of the iPhone 8 due to the fact that most customers would delay the purchase of a new device in order to get the best of the best.

But as it turns out, the iPhone 8 series wasn’t so impacted by the arrival of the iPhone, with data offered by the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) indicating that the more subtly revised model managed to outsell the OLED version in its first 30 days on the market.

According to the chart you can see below, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus accounted for some 40 percent of the total iPhone sales, while iPhone X was next with approximately 30 percent.

Buyers not convinced by iPhone X?

Is this bad news for Apple? It could be, but CIRP says it’s hard to determine whether iPhone X sales were below expectations or not simply because Cupertino’s strategy is entirely new and it’s hard to compare this year’s performance with the one recorded for the previous generations.

“It’s difficult to say whether iPhone X met, exceeded, or missed expectations, since Apple has never launched a phone in this way before,” said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. “Based on the heightened publicity, we suspect some disappointment, with iPhone X accounting for less than one-third of US unit sales immediately following the launch. Of course, early supply constraints may have diminished sales, although as of now supply appears plentiful.”

Interestingly, CIRP says the constrained iPhone X supply isn’t the only reason sales of the device haven’t surpassed those of the iPhone 8, but the delay some potential buyers embraced due to the arrival of a third iPhone model.

“In addition, we think that some delayed iPhone 8 and 8 Plus demand contributed to the situation. After Apple announced the new phones in September, iPhone buyers waited to buy anything until after the release of the iPhone X. They evidently wanted to see what a thousand-dollar phone looks and feels like, and then in many cases bought the seven hundred dollar phone,” the company says.

For comparison, in 2016 when Apple launched the iPhone 7 lineup, this model accounted for no less than 70 percent of all iPhone sales in the first 30 days on the market.