Apple has been reported to cut the iPhone X production in half for the first quarter of 2018 but that is actually a very surprising decision from the tech giant. Though we will have to see how this pans out, Apple had a brilliant quarter as far as sales in the U.S. are counted for.
Apple Managed to Sell a Total of 22 Million iPhone Units During Q4 in the U.S. - Globally, the Popularity of the iPhone X Is Not as High
According to Counterpoint Research, the U.S. is the market where the company has been able to obtain an immense level of popularity, taking away the market share from Samsung in the premium handset category.
“Apple shipped a record 22 million iPhones for the first time ever in a quarter in USA and is note-able and impressive feat because the Q4 promotional season was not nearly as aggressive as previous years. In addition, upgrade rates are slightly lower year-over-year as smartphone subscribers are holding onto phones longer. Apple was able to grow their sell through 20% in a market that only grew 2% compared to last year. This means Apple has been successful to take share away from Samsung in the premium.”
Unfortunately, the production cut of the iPhone X could actually be carried out in the end because though the iPhone is a very popular smartphone in the U.S., the same thing cannot be said about the bezel-less handset for the global smartphone market.
“There has been a lot of chatter that the iPhone X has disappointed on a global level which is partly true not only for Q4 2017 but also moving into 2018 as a result of the higher price which ensured the demand remained softer than expected. But this has not been the case in the US market and outlook looks positive for Apple in its home market for 2018. US consumers on an average are probably on their third or fourth iPhone and are willing to pay for the Apple ecosystem which is much stronger and sticky in USA than for example in China. During Q4 2017, all the three new iPhones were strong sellers—the three were the top three selling phones in the US market. However, since its launch on November 3rd, the iPhone X outsold the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus by a 2:1 margin. What this means is the super-premium segment (above $800) has grown from almost 0% in previous years to 25% share of the total smartphones sold in USA during Q4 2017, which speaks volumes for the potential of USA market and the US consumers’ buying power.”
Apple might not be killing the iPhone X when the iPhone X Plus is officially launched, but it looks like the company is going to be giving more importance to its upcoming smartphone family.
What do you think about Apple’s iPhone sales performance in the U.S.? Tell us down in the comments.
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News Source: Counterpoint
