Survey Finds Older iPhone Models Selling Better Than iPhone X/8: Report

Based on their recent survey of 500 US Apple customers that purchased an iPhone, iPad, or Mac in the US in January-March 2018 period, analysts at Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) have found that sales of legacy iPhone models, including iPhone 6S, 6S Plus and iPhone SE, are squeezing the sales of newer iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X, according to data emailed to iPhone in Canada.

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While the sample size for the survey is relatively small, it suggests iPhone buyers are willing to choose older, cheaper models that have many of the same features as the latest ones. The research found that the iPhone 8/8 Plus, and iPhone X accounted for 60% of US iPhone sales during the three month period, but the breakdown was iPhone 8 at 23%, iPhone 8 Plus at 21%, and iPhone X at 16%.

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. The iPhone SE grabbed 8% of sales, which is down slightly from 11% in the year-ago quarter, and up slightly over the December 2017 quarter.

“We now have a full quarter of results for all of Apple’s new iPhones, and together they account for a smaller share of total sales than the newest phones did this time last year,” said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. “iPhone X saw its share fall to 16%, down from 20% in the December 2017 quarter. iPhone 8 and 8 Plus share improved relative to the December 2017 quarter, combining at 44% of sales, compared to 41% in the last quarter.”

“Based on these results, we expect Apple to report a lower ASP for the March 2018 quarter,” continued Lowitz. “Each quarter we calculate US-WARP, as a proxy for ASP. For the March 2018 quarter, we estimate US-WARP at $746, down from the $766 in the December 2017 quarter. This suggests that reported ASP in the March 2018 quarter is likely to decline.”

After the initial excitement over the iPhone X features, it seems the $1,000 USD flagship has settled into a much smaller share of sales than expected.

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