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iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says (macrumors.com)

(Monday September 16, 2024 @11:20AM (msmash) from the closer-look dept.)


Ming-Chi Kuo, a high-profile and reliable Apple analyst, says the demand for [1]the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been " [2]lower than expected " since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. From a report:

> Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached about 37 million units in the first weekend after Apple began accepting pre-orders, which is down nearly 13% compared to first-weekend sales of the iPhone 15 series last year. The analyst said a key factor for the decline is the lower demand for the Pro models, with first-weekend sales of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max estimated to be down 27% and 16%, respectively, compared to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max sales during the equivalent period last year.



[1] https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/24/09/09/1851240/apple-unveils-iphone-16-pro-featuring-bigger-screen-new-chip-and-pro-recording-options

[2] https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/15/iphone-16-pro-demand-estimate/


You think? (Score:4, Insightful)

by backslashdot ( 95548 )

Maybe quit charging $1200 for incremental improvements.

Re: (Score:2)

by BigFire ( 13822 )

That camera button itself is worth $200 alone (Apple executives).

Re: (Score:2)

by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

This year has been particularly disappointing for phones, because nobody cares about most of the AI stuff. The Pixel 9 was the same - for me, the only improvement of the 8 is the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

Re: (Score:2)

by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )

You haven't priced some Samsung models lately.

Re: (Score:1)

by ihavesaxwithcollies ( 10441708 )

Iphone 16 pro ***with NEW hat***

"But she's got a new hat! I want it. I want it. I want it. "

Maybe people aren't sold on AI features (Score:2)

by cruff ( 171569 )

I'd just like Siri to have improved voice recognition. It seems to have stopped recognizing "set a timer named back for ..." and won't created a timer with the name "back". It used to do that just fine.

Gimmicks. (Score:2)

by MachineShedFred ( 621896 )

So they bring an update that largely brings gimmickry that nobody asked for, and they're surprised when people don't line up to give them $1200 for it?

Could have sworn this object lesson happened at least once before on this product line...

Delayed Improvement (Score:2)

by SuperKendall ( 25149 )

I think one of the reasons why people might be holding out on upgrades is to see what Apple AI really delivers, but that is coming out in phases, some phases not out until well into next year!

There are some new hardware aspects that are pretty nice - like a high-res wide-angle camera. And the dedicated app Control Strip on the side. But those alone may not pull in many people that were not already thinking of upgrading...

Also, I had been thinking about upgrading but I decided all of the stuff they are put

Oh no! (Score:2)

by KlomDark ( 6370 )

Anyway...

Plateau (Score:3)

by 50000BTU_barbecue ( 588132 )

Technology no longer solves real problems. Instead of reveling in our resources and building a leisure society, we continue this weird idea that everyone needs to work so we continue selling useless things to each other...

Boring colours (Score:2)

by Midnight Thunder ( 17205 )

While the iPhone 16 Pro is likely not being picket up for a number of reasons, I must I find the colours a tad conservative. If I could have the Pro model in on of the non-pro colours, I might consider one. Then again, my iPhone 12 Pro is still doing well for the most part.

At the same time, right now the phones are still on pre-order so who's to say how the numbers will change?

Another Candy-bar Cellphone--meh... (Score:2)

by BrendaEM ( 871664 )

Expected fanfare for incremental changes on a product in a now stagnant industry? Really? Dija really expect everyone just to throw the phones they bought away?

Re: (Score:2)

by Baron_Yam ( 643147 )

I'm only surprised because there isn't historically much of an association between price, empirical value, and the willingness of people to pay for Apple product; I have to assume it's mostly conspicuous consumption behavior.

That leads to the conclusion that people aren't buying them because they don't have the money to do so. Or the credit.

My own theory on that.. (Score:2)

by JudgeFurious ( 455868 )

My iPhone 15 Pro Max product satisfaction has also been "lower than expected" and I think these might be related. I know it's a sample size of exactly one phone but this is maybe the worst iPhone I've ever owned. It's like the Sam Wilson version of my last iPhone in that it does everything its predecessor did, only slower.

Define "Expected" (Score:2)

by battingly ( 5065477 )

In TFA it sounds like the analyst wasn't expecting this. However, I'm sure Apple, and anybody who is paying attention, _was_ expecting it. The 16 pro only had a modest update. It's the 16 standard that had the more notable update and that is seeing a sizable increase in sales.

Overdrawn? But I still have checks left!