KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has already reduced his iPhone 5c shipping estimate for the holiday quarter based on his research of the market, which shows that the colourful handset is short on supply. Another report serve as an explanation of his forecast.
According to a recent survey conducted by CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners) and cited by AllthingdD, the iPhone 5s is more popular among iPhone buyers than the iPhone 5c.
This isn’t quite anything new: shortly after the newly launched iPhones 5s and 5c hit the shelves, a report highlighted that the high-end device is more popular than its “cheaper” version, which currently goes for free on contract in certain stores in the US.
Back then, the iPhone 5s outsold the 5c globally by 3.7 to 1, for example. Now, the CIRP study gives us a cross-sectional view of the US smartphone market right after the device launched in stores. After surveying US iPhone buyers, the guys from CIRP found that the iPhone 5s accounted for 64% of all iPhone sales in September, while the 5c grabbed 27%. The iPhone 4S accounted for 9% of all sales.
“The relative performance of all three iPhones is generally in line with the performance of the similarly priced phones following the launch of the iPhone 5 in 2012,” CIRP co-founder Josh Lowitz told AllThingsD. “Over time, the lower-priced phones have tended to gain share versus the flagship phone, after the initial rush of dedicated upgraders to the newest device. So we expect that the 5c will account for a higher percent of total U.S. iPhone sales in the coming months, but the design changes may alter that dynamic. The iPhone 5c may appeal to different buyers than the legacy 4S did last year, or the new 5s will this year.”
It remains to be seen whether the iPhone 5s will continue to top sales during the forthcoming months as well. For now, Tim Cook was right when he rejected any allegations that the high-end market is already full.
