iPhone X Apple is losing its mainstream, non-fan core with the X

[Applejuiced]

I don’t think we’ll know if they turned off a portion of their customer base until we get their numbers. Until then, it’s pure speculation.

We'll find out soon I hope.
But personally I don't think this iPhone X did or will continue to sell as well compared to prior years releases.
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Apples sales numbers will say otherwise

I'll take that bet that their numbers will not be good for this device.

 

[Martyimac]

In my Apple User Group made up of entirely seniors (age 55+), we have ~40 members on average. Of those 40 only 2 members have bought an X and none else so far is interested in buying one. What will probably happen is at some point, their phone will die or they will gift it to a grandchild and only then will they buy a new iPhone. Whether or not it will be a X is the question of their day.

 

[ex android dan]

The X seems to be appealing to the core fan base, but so many people I know are either sticking with their current iPhone or going to another phone vendor. In our office not a single person out of 30 is remotely interested in the X. Of these, about 3/4 are iPhone users. Five of those (including me) have switched to an S8 or Note 8. In past years, there was a palpable excitement about the new phones. This round has fallen very flat. Where does Apple go from here? Yes, the X is selling well overall, but Apple is losing its mojo and edge as they slowly run out of ideas. Are the exciting days gone? Is the iPhone just another phone to most people outside of the fan base?

We have about 800 in my office, and we’ve had more than 550 order the X.

 

[betasp]

There is some validity in small sampling, but the sample here is skewed to your Corp culture. I work in manufacturing, with a large spread of socio-economic differences in a single facility. About 20% of management has moved to the X overall. No one has switch from android to Apple in the past 6 months or so. I haven't seen one hourly associate with an X. What does that tell me, nothing really.

I don't know for sure what the Apple demographic is, or even the target demographic for the X. I suspect the higher pricing was to 1. reduce demand to accommodate manufacturing challenges 2. Soften the market to the $1k price point and driving the high end market to an even higher level. This will open margins in the future for Apple and Samsung.

 

[flat five]

The X seems to be appealing to the core fan base, but so many people I know are either sticking with their current iPhone or going to another phone vendor. In our office not a single person out of 30 is remotely interested in the X. Of these, about 3/4 are iPhone users. Five of those (including me) have switched to an S8 or Note 8. In past years, there was a palpable excitement about the new phones. This round has fallen very flat. Where does Apple go from here? Yes, the X is selling well overall, but Apple is losing its mojo and edge as they slowly run out of ideas. Are the exciting days gone? Is the iPhone just another phone to most people outside of the fan base?

they'll get into it eventually..

as in-- first iPhone = core fans only.. similar with X according to your post..
only this time, Apple has other phones besides the X to sell to the masses.. ie- iPhone 8..

another couple of years.. everybody will be on an X like phone.

 

[g.t. rags]

Lol your logic is heavily flawed.

so is op's.... i was simply mimicking his logic pattern

 

[MrInquestador]

The X seems to be appealing to the core fan base, but so many people I know are either sticking with their current iPhone or going to another phone vendor. In our office not a single person out of 30 is remotely interested in the X. Of these, about 3/4 are iPhone users. Five of those (including me) have switched to an S8 or Note 8. In past years, there was a palpable excitement about the new phones. This round has fallen very flat. Where does Apple go from here? Yes, the X is selling well overall, but Apple is losing its mojo and edge as they slowly run out of ideas. Are the exciting days gone? Is the iPhone just another phone to most people outside of the fan base?

Could be the price tag. Seriously, not everyone (even those affluent) is willing to spend $1,500 for a smartphone.

 

[boltjames]

The X seems to be appealing to the core fan base, but so many people I know are either sticking with their current iPhone or going to another phone vendor. In our office not a single person out of 30 is remotely interested in the X. Of these, about 3/4 are iPhone users. Five of those (including me) have switched to an S8 or Note 8. In past years, there was a palpable excitement about the new phones. This round has fallen very flat. Where does Apple go from here? Yes, the X is selling well overall, but Apple is losing its mojo and edge as they slowly run out of ideas. Are the exciting days gone? Is the iPhone just another phone to most people outside of the fan base?

Yes, the exciting days are gone. Not for Apple, for any manufacturer in the Smartphone market.

Like Color TV's, VCR's, Cable Boxes, CD Players, DVD Players, Camcorders, MP3's Players, and all the rest of the one-time invincible consumer electronic products of its day, the Smartphone has become just another commodity, just another item like the one you had before. No one is waiting on line for these things anymore. No one cares if you have an Apple or a Samsung. It's a rectangular circuit board with a battery and a screen. Everyone has one.

But don't feel bad; no one argues over bottled water either.

 

[riverfreak]

A better question to gauge user sentiment might be: how many people have hedged bets by (say) moving their photos to Google Photos?

If you’re totally locked into the iCloud experience, you are still pretty committed to Apple and will probably end up with an iPhone X eventually.

I personally have started to hedge to make a transition simpler should one be necessary. And I am a long, long, long term Apple user. I just don’t think the X coupled with iOS 11 are crushing it. For now, I’m perfectly happy with my 7+ and also understand well the time value of money.
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In my Apple User Group made up of entirely seniors (age 55+), we have ~40 members on average. Of those 40 only 2 members have bought an X and none else so far is interested in buying one. What will probably happen is at some point, their phone will die or they will gift it to a grandchild and only then will they buy a new iPhone. Whether or not it will be a X is the question of their day.

Interesting. While I don’t consider 55 a senior, I really can’t imagine my 80 year old mother using the gestures of the X. She gets around okay on a plus but is already shaky and can’t tap with great precision.

 

[betasp]

http://bgr.com/2017/12/04/iphone-x-sales-figures-vs-galaxy-s8-iphone-8/

 

[boltjames]

Could be the price tag. Seriously, not everyone (even those affluent) is willing to spend $1,500 for a smartphone.

That's no joke. I'm very affluent and even I struggle with shelling out the $3,000 I just did for my wife and I to both have iPhone X's.

And I've got 3 kids. And they all want their iPhone 6S's upgraded to iPhone X's too.

$7,500 for my family of 5 to get into new iPhone's when a scant 2 years ago we could get a new phone from AT&T for $99 each. $7,500 vs. $500. That's real money.

 

[Martyimac]

Interesting. While I don’t consider 55 a senior, I really can’t imagine my 80 year old mother using the gestures of the X. She gets around okay on a plus but is already shaky and can’t tap with great precision.

I don't either but I live in a "senior" retirement development and to live here you must be at least 55. My verbosity was just to give a little info as to the demographic.

 

[Breezygirl]

That's no joke. I'm very affluent and even I struggle with shelling out the $3,000 I just did for my wife and I to both have iPhone X's.

And I've got 3 kids. And they all want their iPhone 6S's upgraded to iPhone X's too.

$7,500 for my family of 5 to get into new iPhone's when a scant 2 years ago we could get a new phone from AT&T for $99 each. $7,500 vs. $500. That's real money.

And that is exactly it. Way too much money and little innovation imo and what I’m seeing from coworkers, friends and family.

 

[haruhiko]

That's no joke. I'm very affluent and even I struggle with shelling out the $3,000 I just did for my wife and I to both have iPhone X's.

And I've got 3 kids. And they all want their iPhone 6S's upgraded to iPhone X's too.

$7,500 for my family of 5 to get into new iPhone's when a scant 2 years ago we could get a new phone from AT&T for $99 each. $7,500 vs. $500. That's real money.

I'm quite sure the $99 price tag is not the true amount you paid for the phone. The cost was just distributed in your carrier contracts. You know, my iPhone 6 was "$0".

 

[boltjames]

I'm quite sure the $99 price tag is not the true amount you paid for the phone. The cost was just distributed in your carrier contracts. You know, my iPhone 6 was "$0".

I'm not getting into this argument again. The cost was not distributed in my carrier contract as my carrier contract did not go down in price when I started to pay big bucks for iPhone's. I always paid in full, never 'leased' them, never went on any payment plan.

There was a time that Apple and AT&T were in ferocious battles for market share in an effort to drive up their street value. And as such they subsidized the hardware costs in an attempt to grab customers. Those days are over. Price increases are real. Stop believing what you're being told by shady salespeople trained to make you believe them. Three years ago my daughter's iPhone 6 cost $99 and I paid $55 all-in for her service on my family share plan. If I walked into an Apple store today to get a comparable iPhone 8, it would cost me $850 and the same damn $55 a month.

 

[MarkB786]

There is some validity in small sampling, but the sample here is skewed to your Corp culture. I work in manufacturing, with a large spread of socio-economic differences in a single facility. About 20% of management has moved to the X overall. No one has switch from android to Apple in the past 6 months or so. I haven't seen one hourly associate with an X. What does that tell me, nothing really.

I don't know for sure what the Apple demographic is, or even the target demographic for the X. I suspect the higher pricing was to 1. reduce demand to accommodate manufacturing challenges 2. Soften the market to the $1k price point and driving the high end market to an even higher level. This will open margins in the future for Apple and Samsung.

My office is mostly young engineers, under 30. It's not just about numbers... It's also the lack of buzz that we all experienced in years past. Indeed, the price is likely putting a big damper on that excitement. Paying a premium for Face ID appears to be the other big detractor.

 

[Michael Scrip]

The majority of people don't upgrade their phones every year, they also don't buy the new phone on the first day or first month.

Exactly.

iPhones get sold ALL year. It's not a "first month or nothing" product.

And you're right about yearly upgrades... I bet half of current iPhone users won't get ANY new iPhone this year.

When the iPhone 6 was first released... I still saw mostly 4S, 5, 5C and 5S in people's hands for a year.

This is no different. It'll take time. I have no doubt that iPhone X will become a common sight... eventually.

 

[KingslayerG5]

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3228008/smartphones/bezelless-phone-iphone-x-notch.html

Here's the cold, hard truth: Like many gimmicks created with the goal of selling smartphones, the "no bezel" trend isn't about doing something that's meant to enhance your life in any meaningful way. It isn't about doing something that's going to be of any practical benefit. It's about prioritizing form at the expense of function in order to make a product seem fresh and different enough from its predecessor that you'll want to buy it.

 

[boltjames]

And that is exactly it. Way too much money and little innovation imo and what I’m seeing from coworkers, friends and family.

Agreed. And to be clear, it's not just Apple. It's Samsung and all the rest too. Smartphones can't do anything different anymore. Texts, phone calls, web browsing, games, social media. ZZzzz. Oh, remember "the internet of things"? LOL. That's the same thing as the HDTV manufacturers trying to force 3D on us.

From the financial perspective, this is what happens in the electronics industry, it's been this way for decades. When a technology matures the hardware manufacturers stop worrying about market share and batten down the hatches and make it all about maximizing profitability. Apple must be making 5x on an iPhone 8 as they did on an iPhone 5 with the subsidies ending. Can't say I blame them.

 

[Technarchy]

Thus far I’ve only seen one X other than my wife’s.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Apple must be making 5x on an iPhone 8 as they did on an iPhone 5 with the subsidies ending.

I'm pretty sure Apple got the full retail price of every phone even when carriers were subsidizing phones.

Unless you're suggesting Apple sold the iPhone at a discount to the carriers... which I doubt.

You might have only paid $199 at the carrier store for a $649 iPhone 5... but it was the carrier subsidizing the other $450... not Apple.

Apple got the full retail price... $649 in that case.

I'm not sure how you get apple making 5X after subsidies ending. Apple had nothing to do with the subsidies... it was the carriers doing that.

 

[thesaint024]

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3228008/smartphones/bezelless-phone-iphone-x-notch.html

Here's the cold, hard truth: Like many gimmicks created with the goal of selling smartphones, the "no bezel" trend isn't about doing something that's meant to enhance your life in any meaningful way. It isn't about doing something that's going to be of any practical benefit. It's about prioritizing form at the expense of function in order to make a product seem fresh and different enough from its predecessor that you'll want to buy it.

Cold, hard truth eh? Minimal bezel isn’t a “gimmick”. Don’t know what you’re using a smartphone for but I use mine for the convenience of a computer in a pocket. Maximizing screen size in as little physical space isn’t a gimmick, it’s the holy grail for smartphones. Unless you prefer brick forms with tiny screens. Animoji is a gimmick to show off technical abilities. Speaking of which, FaceID isn’t a gimmick either. Alternative of a TouchID in the back and unnaturally contorting my hand is kind of ridiculous for unlocking a hundred times a day.

 

[boltjames]

I'm pretty sure Apple got the full retail price of every phone even when carriers were subsidizing phones.

Unless you're suggesting Apple sold the iPhone at a discount to the carriers... which I doubt.

You might have only paid $199 at the carrier store for a $649 iPhone 5... but it was the carrier subsidizing the other $450... not Apple.

Apple got the full retail price... $649 in that case.

I'm not sure how you get apple making 5X after subsidies ending. Apple had nothing to do with the subsidies... it was the carriers doing that.

Both the carriers and Apple were subsidizing iPhone's at various stages from 2007-2015. It's well documented.

 

[Feenician]

Both the carriers and Apple were subsidizing iPhone's at various stages from 2007-2015. It's well documented.

I’m interested. What documentation shows Apple subsidizing phones? I always hear that their profit margins are too high, so this would be a different spin.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Both the carriers and Apple were subsidizing iPhone's at various stages from 2007-2015. It's well documented.

I need more info too.

I've never heard that.

Apple sold an iPhone for $649... but they sold it to the carriers for $____ ?

Fill in the blank.