Shoppers looking at Apple's iPhone leaning towards Plus models, mid-tier memory, survey finds

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in iPhone
A larger proportion of people are now choosing Plus-sized iPhone models, while about half of buyers are picking mid-tier storage, according to an RBC Capital Markets survey shared with AppleInsider.




In a group of over 6,000 people, 46 percent of prospective iPhone buyers said they plan to get a Plus -- whether the 6s Plus or the 7 Plus, said RBC analyst Amit Daryanani. That's up from 38 percent of people interested in Plus models a year ago. The increase is likely because of the 7 Plus, Daryanani suggested, owing to its "comparatively richer feature set" -- presumably referring to its dual-lens camera allowing for 2x optical zoom and a forthcoming "Portrait" mode that blurs backgrounds.

Meanwhile, the number of people leaning towards mid-tier storage has shrunk year-over-year, from 55 percent to about 50 percent, the analyst noted. That may be linked to Apple's decision to raise the minimum storage on iPhones to 32 gigabytes, which is significantly more practical than the previous 16 gigabytes.

For Apple however, the shift to Plus purchases is expected to more than compensate for people choosing cheaper storage, and the survey also indicated an uptick in related products and services. The number of people interested in an Apple Watch rose from 13 percent to 17 percent, while Apple Pay usage is now at 24 percent, up from 16 percent "post initial launch."

RBC is increasing its revenue and earnings-per-share estimates for the September quarter from $46.9 billion and $1.66 to $47.3 billion and $1.68. December-quarter forecasts are up as well, from $78 billion and $3.29 to $78.7 billion and $3.34.

Accordingly the firm is holding its "Outperform" rating on Apple stock, and increasing its price target to $125.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    "Shoppers looking at Apple's iPhone leaning towards Plus models, mid-tier memory, survey finds"

    Storage, not memory.
    zroger73tycho24jbishop1039icoco3pscooter63mike1fastasleep
  • Reply 2 of 23
    I've held off buying a "phablet" as long as I could, but developers insist on cramming as much information on the screen as possible by using increasingly smaller fonts and graphics, which is fine for teenagers with 20/20 or better vision, but not so great for the majority of everyone else.
    cali
  • Reply 3 of 23
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    Isn't obvious. iphone 7 plus with 128GB is not only sweet spot but best of best smartphone with attractive pricing. Now that iphone has excellent offerings in 4",4.7",5.5" sizes; only size left is mega iphone with 6". May be in 2018-19 when home button is embedded under screen and bezel around screen gets smaller..
    edited September 2016
  • Reply 4 of 23
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    The iPhone ASP is going to get quite a nice bump from the last couple of quarters, mitigating the impact of the SE.
    califastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 23
    Im a guy, and to this point have not chosen the Plus only bc putting in a pair of jeans is awkward....but the matt black Plus is so sexy...decisions, decisions.
    TEAMSWITCHERbaconstangwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 23
    NY1822 said:
    Im a guy, and to this point have not chosen the Plus only bc putting in a pair of jeans is awkward....but the matt black Plus is so sexy...decisions, decisions.
    I agree completely,  I opted for the 128GB iPhone 7 because I would never put something as big as the 7 Plus in my pockets.  Also, I don't know if this is true, I read there was no Optical Image Stabilization on the Telephoto camera.  Does anyone know if that's true?  
  • Reply 7 of 23
    NY1822 said:
    Im a guy, and to this point have not chosen the Plus only bc putting in a pair of jeans is awkward....but the matt black Plus is so sexy...decisions, decisions.
    I'll be getting the SE for this same reason. I'm still on an iPhone 4, which is perfect pocket-size. I could not imagine doing the same with the larger models.
    baconstangcalipscooter63watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 23
    brucemc said:
    The iPhone ASP is going to get quite a nice bump from the last couple of quarters, mitigating the impact of the SE.
    Raising the price of the 7 Plus helps. 
    dasanman69
  • Reply 9 of 23
    HAHA "I cant put my plus sized device in my pocket" I just can't understand why people CREATE this nonissue. I just put my iPhone 6 Plus in my pocket and thats it. I have never had any poblems with it, it just fits perfectly. That's the reason why I ordered the 7 in Plus size. But I agree with women: Their pockets ARE smaller and based on their increased fashion options and variations, it could be a problem. The plus sized iPhone does not fit in all women's clothing.
  • Reply 10 of 23
    That's me in this demographic.

    Excellent news for Apple's margins in the next quarter!  :)
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 23
    HAHA "I cant put my plus sized device in my pocket" I just can't understand why people CREATE this nonissue. I just put my iPhone 6 Plus in my pocket and thats it. I have never had any poblems with it, it just fits perfectly. That's the reason why I ordered the 7 in Plus size. But I agree with women: Their pockets ARE smaller and based on their increased fashion options and variations, it could be a problem. The plus sized iPhone does not fit in all women's clothing.

    Maybe because you're a plus size person and wears baggy cloths. Yeah the larger phone fits in most dress plants front pockets and loose fitting cloths, but jeans are always another story even for guys.
    fastasleep
  • Reply 12 of 23
    tzeshantzeshan Posts: 2,351member
    An iPhone 7 Plus with 128 GB is getting very close to a MacBook Pro.  And it has many critical functions a MacBook Pro cannot do. 
  • Reply 13 of 23
    NY1822 said:
    Im a guy, and to this point have not chosen the Plus only bc putting in a pair of jeans is awkward....but the matt black Plus is so sexy...decisions, decisions.
    I hear you. Same w/ me.

    I have a 5c. Thinking of the Se b/c of "jeans." I also carry an iPad Mini (which I love), pretty much everywhere I go for updating notes, surfing, planning, reading news, books, etc., at lunch, or at home on the couch.

    Seriously considering the 7 plus instead of the Se, and the Mini. Hmmmm. I guess I'll just leave the 7 Plus in the car more! :)


  • Reply 14 of 23
    Unless we are comparing the data with last year's launch period, it's meaningless. Clearly the launch period will skew to higher end storage and the plus.
    mike1
  • Reply 15 of 23
    NY1822 said:
    Im a guy, and to this point have not chosen the Plus only bc putting in a pair of jeans is awkward....but the matt black Plus is so sexy...decisions, decisions.
    If they're tight-fitting, I suppose, but my 6+ and 6S+ have fit in my Wranglers' front pockets comfortably for two years now.
  • Reply 16 of 23
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    NY1822 said:
    Im a guy, and to this point have not chosen the Plus only bc putting in a pair of jeans is awkward....but the matt black Plus is so sexy...decisions, decisions.
    How about a matte black "standard" IP7???
  • Reply 17 of 23
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    NY1822 said:
    Im a guy, and to this point have not chosen the Plus only bc putting in a pair of jeans is awkward....but the matt black Plus is so sexy...decisions, decisions.
    Agreed. The 4.7" is the perfect size for me. The Plus is just awkward to carry around. Especially if I'm not wearing a jacket or coat.
  • Reply 18 of 23
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    HAHA "I cant put my plus sized device in my pocket" I just can't understand why people CREATE this nonissue. I just put my iPhone 6 Plus in my pocket and thats it. I have never had any poblems with it, it just fits perfectly. That's the reason why I ordered the 7 in Plus size. But I agree with women: Their pockets ARE smaller and based on their increased fashion options and variations, it could be a problem. The plus sized iPhone does not fit in all women's clothing.
    Actually, I know more women with 6+.They don't have to worry about it fitting in their pockets because it fits in their pocketbooks.
  • Reply 19 of 23
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    wdowell said:
    Unless we are comparing the data with last year's launch period, it's meaningless. Clearly the launch period will skew to higher end storage and the plus.
    Agreed. If I'm not mistaken, the 6+ skewed proportionally higher at the start, but over time the 4.7" version wound up selling more units.
  • Reply 20 of 23
    HAHA "I cant put my plus sized device in my pocket" I just can't understand why people CREATE this nonissue. I just put my iPhone 6 Plus in my pocket and thats it. I have never had any poblems with it, it just fits perfectly. That's the reason why I ordered the 7 in Plus size. But I agree with women: Their pockets ARE smaller and based on their increased fashion options and variations, it could be a problem. The plus sized iPhone does not fit in all women's clothing.
    Right, because all men wear puffy khakis and mom jeans like you, yet some women's clothing is a problem? 
    edited September 2016
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