Taking an honest look, Apple's iPhone X launch looks desperate. The company landed itself in a design rut prior to the device. Failing to upgrade form and display, Apple needed to move fast. Samsung got ahead in the game, with its excellently designed Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The iPhone X serves to make sure that Apple is once again ahead in the smartphone world, in terms of design and specifications. And in terms of price as well. It's this detail which saved Apple this quarter, since investors were beginning to get jittery (remember Carl Icahn dumping Apple stock?). Now, we've got more statistics for you. Take a look below for more details.
IHS Markit Releases Its Annual Data For Smartphone Shipments; Apple Leads Samsung By A Hairline 1% As Seoul Drops Down To 19% After Losing 4% Of Its Market Share
Even before Apple launched the iPhone X, one this was clear. Cupertino will price the device at $1,000, due to a multitude of reasons. First of all, True Depth is not easy to manufacture and OLED display's aren't as cheap as their IPS counterparts. Secondly, Apple was under pressure to maintain its smartphone growth, since the majority of its revenues stem from the iPhone X. The iPhone X is a masterstroke in that respect.
The average selling price (ASP) for Apple's latest and greatest smartphone is $796. Its ASP for 2017? $695. This is the main reason Apple beat revenue records in its Q1 reports, even as total number of iPhones shipped decline. The iPhone, it seems, is now exclusive for the financially advantaged; the rest of us will have to do with battery disappointments and no OLEDs.
Having a career MBA as your CEO does that. Now, IHS Markit is back, with its data for 2017's total smartphone shipments. For Q4 2017, global smartphone shipments dropped by 4.5%. This decrease is mirrored by all manufacturers' shipments, except for Xiaomi and Motorola. However, annual shipments grew by 3.1%, standing at 1.44 billion from 1.4 billion last year. Apple's share of the Q4 smartphone pie stands at 20%, exactly one percent above Samsung's.
Seoul saw its share decline by 4% to 19%. iPhones were very popular this holiday season and the firm believes this as the main reason behind Apple's good fortunes. It's good to finally hear positive news for Apple and iPhone shipments. Analyst expectations prior to Cupertino's latest earnings call wasn't very optimistic; with the iPhone X's price combined with poor customer response painting a sober picture. Thoughts? Let us know what you think in the comments section below and stay tuned. We'll keep you updated on the latest.
News Source: IHS Markit
