14 DAY TRIAL // Sales of the iPhone X are said to be well below expectations, so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are currently leading Apple’s smartphone sales.
This is what happened in the March fiscal quarter, according to data provided by CIRP, as the iPhone X dropped from 20 percent share of all iPhone sales in the December quarter to just 16 percent.
The decline happened despite Apple managing to address all production struggles, bringing enough units in stores and finally aligning inventory with demand.
On the other hand, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus account for the biggest share in terms of iPhone sales during the quarter with 44 percent. This means that the more affordable 2017 iPhone recorded sales three times bigger than the iPhone X, once again confirming that the high price of the anniversary model is considered a big drawback for buyers.
Old iPhones still selling strong
iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s also sold well during the quarter, and this is mostly the result of discounts that were offered by Apple.
“Surprisingly, iPhone models introduced in 2015 and 2016 continued to show strong sales,“ added Mike Levin, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder.
“The year-old iPhone 7 and 7 Plus accounted for almost one-fifth of sales, and the two-year old iPhone 6S and 6S Plus had 13% of sales. Even the SE held its own at 8%, down slightly from 11% in the year-ago quarter, and actually up slightly over the December 2017 quarter. With eight models available, and the newest ones costing close to $1,000, consumers appear to want older, cheaper models that have many of the same features.”
Apple is getting ready to introduce the second-generation iPhone SE sometime in the next couple of months, ahead of the debut of a completely new family of iPhones in the fall. Three iPhone models are expected in September, including a successor to the iPhone X and a Plus-sized configuration.