We are coming out of the launch weekend for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c and while Apple has already come forward with sales numbers, it looks like that may have just been the initial launch. This launch included the big four carriers in the US market and moving forward the regional carriers are going […]
Speaking up today on their impending partnership, Nissan and Apple have let it be known that they’ll be moving forward on iTunes Radio for automobiles. This move will make Nissan the “exclusive automotive launch partner” for iTunes Radio, and will allow it to retain this title “through 2013.” The environment known as iTunes Radio was […]
Apple has reported selling over nine million of its new iPhone 5s and 5c models withing the first three days after launching the products, making it the most successful iPhone release yet. Apple did not provide details on the numbers between the two models, but overall the launch almost doubled the release of the iPhone 5 a year ago with over 5 million in the first three days.
The two models have different price points with the 5s version starting at $199 featuring a touch ID that scans fingerprints, and the 5c version that starts at $99 and comes in five different colors (white, yellow, blue, green and pink). Friday’s launch was the first time Apple has released two iPhone models at the same time.
Although no details were provided on numbers, Apple says that sales for the more expensive model, the 5s, have exceeded the available supplies and orders are scheduled out in the coming weeks.
Best way to show off the iPhone 5S’s slow motion video capture
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Apple sold nine million new iPhones in its opening weekend, the company has announced this morning, setting a new record for the iOS smartphone. The exact sales split between the flagship iPhone 5s and the plastic-bodied iPhone 5c has not been detailed, but Apple confirms the initial supplies of the iPhone 5s have been exhausted, […]
Apple sold more than nine million iPhone 5Cs
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Apple just set a new all-time record for iPhone launch sales: it reports selling nine million total iPhone 5s and 5c units this weekend, well over the 5 million of the iPhone 5 launch last year. While the company isn’t breaking down sales by individual models, it notes that the initial iPhone 5s supply has already sold out. The company also mentioned that more than 200 million devices are already running iOS 7. That’s the fastest software upgrade in history, according to Apple. While it’s difficult to put the sales and download figures into context without directly comparable numbers from rivals, it’s clear that the new devices are off to a strong start. Check out Apple’s self-congratulatory release after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Source: Apple
Apple has just issued a press release revealing it sold 9M iPhones during the launch weekend of its iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s. As is typical for the company with new hardware, it hasn’t broken out individual model sales, but other signals point to a stronger debut weekend for the higher-end iPhone 5s than for the 5c. Apple blew away its previous record for first weekend iPhone sales, which was 5 million for the iPhone 5 last year.
The iPhone 5s was reportedly sold out in retail locations quickly around the globe, and shipping times at online Apple Store websites also slipped quickly into vague October time frames. The 5c, however, remains in stock and ready to ship within 24 hours at most, if not all international Apple online stores. Analysts had predicted between 5 and 8 million launch weekend sales across both devices, with KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo predicting a higher percentage going to the iPhone 5c. Stock constraints could mean that Kuo is still correct, despite the sell-out of the 5s models, but data from Localytics suggests otherwise.
If Apple stays true to its history, it probably won’t break out individual model sales of iPhone 5s and 5c, as it has never broken out iPad mini sales, for instance. Analysts and market researchers will be plugging away at retail and other sources to try to determine the split, however, so it’s possible we could eventually see some sort of consensus estimate emerge as a best possible guess.
Apple also announced that 200 million devices are now running iOS 7, the update it released for its mobile platform last week. That makes it the “fastest software upgrade in history,” which is in keeping with the early numbers we saw reported from developers and analytics firms. iTunes Radio, the new streaming music service introduced by Apple in iOS 7, ad 11 million listeners during its launch weekend, which is doubly impressive because that’s a U.S.-only service for now. Compare that to 200 million registered users for Pandora at last count, a milestone that took six years to achieve.
Another factor to consider with respect to these device numbers is that Apple’s iPhone 5 launched in just 9 markets around the world, while the iPhone 5s and 5c debuted in 11 total, including China, where launch demand appeared strong. China accounted for two million sales of the iPhone 5 during its launch weekend last year alone, so that likely has added considerably to the total this time around for the 5s and 5c.
If you’re walking around New York City this afternoon, you may be handed a flyer by the NYC Police Department with a “Public Awareness Notice” for so-called “Apple users”. This note informs users of iPhone and iPad devices that upgrading to iOS 7 will add security features that will keep these devices from being reprogrammed […]
Apple could learn a lot from the fall of Burberry. The once-exclusive fashion brand became associated with trashy youth by greedily licensing out its signature tan chequered pattern for use on baseball caps and other cheap clothes. Suddenly, the rich clientele it had catered to for a century wanted nothing to do with Burberry. Could Apple’s iPhone brand have the same trouble after selling the cheaper, color-splashed iPhone 5c?
Obviously there are a lot of differences between Burberry and Apple. Apple isn’t licensing the iPhone name to be shoddily produced by another company. And people buy iPhones for their utility, not just their fashion. But by selling cheaper (than the 5s), loudly-colored phones, there’s a chance it could negatively impact the perception of the status of the iPhone brand to more sophisticated luxury consumers.
Burberry was once the height of upper-class British fashion, with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn donning its iconic trench coats which retail for thousands and thousands of pounds. Owning a piece of Burberry-cheqed clothing was aspirational, a sign of success.
Yet in the 1980′s and 1990′s the brand began juicing short-term profits by licensing its pattern and logo to manufacturers of everything from cut-rate clothes to liquor to dog toilet paper. Burberry became the uniform of the “chav” – British slang for trashy people trying to appear classier than they are through gaudy fashion. Soccer hooligans, sketchy streetpeople, and a C-list celebrities causing trouble became associated with Burberry.
The brand reached its low when a washed up British soap opera actress who’d had her septum removed due to cocaine abuse hit the front of the tabloids with her child, both covered head-to-toe in the Burberry chequered print.
While cheap licensed products and counterfeits flooded the streets, tarnishing the brand’s image, sales of the expensive fashion-wear that’s the foundation of Burberry’s business took a nosedive. Burberry was no longer a sign of high-status, and fashion mavens began to look elsewhere.
Enter the iPhone 5c.
“Unapologetically plastic” is how its designer Sir Jonny Ive describes the new iPhone 5c that debuted last week. “Those cheap-y, plastic-y phones” is how a less tech-conscious friend of mine described the 5c to me last weekend over brunch.
“I don’t like the new iPhone (meaning the premium 5s) because they made those cheap-y, plastic-y phones too”.
This sure as hell isn’t an expansive empirical study or representative sample of opinions of the 5c. It’s a one-off anecdote. But I doubt my friend is the only one who feels this way, consciously or sub-consciously, and it’s a perception Apple should be concerned with.
There are lots of reasons to sell a plastic iPhone. It gives consumers a choice beyond just an older model. It’s more durable than a glass iPhone 4S. It could help Apple expand its marketshare, thereby keeping iOS the first choice of platforms for developers. Its bright colors and price point could appeal to kids as they transition from iPods to smartphones. Apple’s colored iMacs and iPods certainly sold well. And it keeps Apple from having to sell the pricey industrial design that went into the iPhone 5 (now taken off the market) at a discount.
Done tactfully, the iPhone 5c could be a huge short and long-term win for Apple. It might become the best-selling iPhone ever.
But being “unapologetic” about the plastic iPhone has its pitfalls. Even if the phone is well made (check out our iPhone 5c review), and the $99 on contract price point doesn’t actually put a “cheaper” phone in Apple’s lineup, just the fact that it costs less than the 5s causes some people to perceive the iPhone 5c as “cheap”, and perception matters.
Again, the $99 on contract iPhone 5c is not cheaper than buying a year old iPhone like Apple used to sell, but it may be perceived as cheap.
The colors it comes in don’t do it any favors. They scream PlaySkool souvenir kid’s toy — the opposite of sophistication. Considering Apple has become one of the world’s most valuable companies by selling sophistication to those who can afford to pay a high margin, this is risky business.
But rather than try to mitigate the perception of the iPhone 5c as cheap, Apple’s $29 colored rubber cases make it even worse. They’ve been promoted in eye-bleed color combinations like a green phone with a pink case.
The sight of those highlighter iPhone 5c’s in the hands of kids and others who couldn’t afford a 5s could leave wealthier consumers less enamored with the iPhone brand as a whole. Is this judgement and classism terrible? Yes, but that won’t stop people.
Burberry was able to save itself by hiring a new CEO, Angela Ahrendts, who led an effort to buy back 23 of its licenses and fight counterfeiters. Ahrendts also scaled back its signature plaid so it appeared on just 5% of Burberry clothing instead of 20%. It signed on new faces for the brand like Emma Watson, and sued people who used its trademark illegally. Burberry is even working with Apple and the 5s to capture photos of its new fashion line.
Soon, Burberry regained its image as a sought-after upscale brand, and sales of its pricier items soared, and Burberry revenue has more than doubled to ₤1.9 billion. However, the chav image still haunts Burberry to this day.
Still, Apple should heed these lessons as it promotes the iPhone 5c. It’s fine to appeal to a larger swath of the market and give people choice in pricing. But it must strive to maintain the iPhone’s image as the classiest handset on the market. That might mean toning down the color clashing when it promotes the 5c cases, carefully choosing where it promotes what model, and realizing it can be proud of its plastic without unapologetically alienating high-end buyers. Otherwise, a few years down the road it might be the one saying sorry to investors.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
