Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus smartphones disappoint in sales

When Apple launched the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, 99 percent of
those in attendance and those watching online gave the event an audience mostly
because of the iPhone X; the anniversary edition of the premium smartphone
line. The iPhone X did not disappoint with regards to features. The bezel-less
design, dual camera setup with optical image stabilization and the
revolutionary Face ID make the next generation smartphone a phone in its own
world. Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said of the iPhone 8 and iPhone
8 Plus. 

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sport minor upgrade over the
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus both of which were launched in September last year.
Choosing to unveil two devices with minor upgrade on the same day a flagship
device that “will redefine the way we use our cell phones” was
unveiled, to me, was the greatest undoing of Apple. That singular act set the
tone for the dwindling sale being recorded with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
With wireless charging and the Apple A11 Bionic chips
being two of the few upgrades introduced on the devices, I expected the
re-introduction of the earphone jack on these devices or better still, don’t
reveal the features on the soon-coming iPhone X until next year, or stick to the tradition by
calling them the “S” models. Apple did otherwise and the sales records
are there for all to see.
According
to Fortune Tech, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus accounted for 16% of the
total iPhone sales in the US during the third quarter, a stark contrast to the
43% recorded by the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September 2017. Knowing that
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus recorded this fit with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8
Plus in stores justifies the conclusion that the new devices have nothing
exceptional to offer, and that users will rather wait for the iPhone X than
waste their money on an expensive device whose features are already available
on flagships from Samsung and other reputable brands.
Although Apple have chosen to call the phones iPhone 8 and
iPhone 8 Plus instead of iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s plus, sales indicators show
that the devices are performing more like an “S” models of iPhone
than an upgrade version.
Going back in history, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plus
recorded 24% sales while the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus recorded 46% sales, all
in their launch quarters. A look at this figures clearly states where the iPhone
8 and iPhone 8 plus belong- S models.
Echoing my stand is Mike Levin, founder of Consumer
Intelligent Research Partner who said that “It seems when Apple
announced the forthcoming iPhone X, it changed the market dynamic, and probably
depressed demand for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus”
The CIRP is just one in many reports that have suggested
that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus models are outselling the iPhone 8 and
iPhone 8 plus. However, these reports all agreed that the demand for the iPhone X
will be huge.
The mistake has been made, one can only hope the losses in
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus will result to huge gains in iPhone X.

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