14 DAY TRIAL // A new study by CIRP reveals that Apple’s iPhone 7 sales were affected by the lack of design changes to the line, compared to the older iPhone 6 and 6s. Apparently, more customers opted for an older model last quarter, instead of getting Apple’s latest phones.
The study reveals that “despite upgraded features like each new flagship iPhone release, the legacy models accounted for almost a third of iPhones sold in the quarter, the highest percentage since Apple started releasing two new phones each fall in 2014,” according to 9to5Mac.
It seems that upgraded chipsets, camera performance and battery life weren’t enough to convince some consumers to opt for Apple’s last year flagships, at least not in the past quarter. But the study does bring some good news too, namely that sales of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were about equal.
Users who switched from Android opted for iPhone 6s models
“The large-format Plus models accounted for 41% of total sales, a steady increase since the launch of the original Plus model in 2015. Consumers have signaled a willingness to not only purchase a more expense, larger model, which also helps Apple’s iPhone ASP,” said Mike Levin, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder.
Moreover, consumers switching from Android to iOS smartphones were less willing to purchase the latest generation iPhone. Only 10% of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus buyers switched from an Android smartphone, meaning that the latest models were mainly sold to Apple’s loyal customers. People who switched from Android mostly opted for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models, as well as iPhone SE, launched last year.
Nevertheless, Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 could convince customers who didn’t see the appeal of last year’s models. iPhone 8 is expected to come with a completely new design, a vertical dual-lens setup on the back, a relocated Touch ID and wireless charging, as well as a 3D sensing camera.