And if it is the "end" of the line for that product it just means that we will see another iPhone that uses what worked in the X but without what didn't. Be that price, functionality, or even market timing.
No one thinks the X is a failure, at worst a market proof-of-value.
Misleading headline. And a bit of confusing logic by MCK. An Apple decision to not continue selling the existing iPhone X after new models are announced could have nothing to do with how it has sold over the year. With such an expansive iPhone lineup as they currently have - and likely would continue to have if introducing 3 new models again - it would make perfect sense to NOT sell it.
Taking a few of the rumours around, Apple might introduce a single new iPhone LCD model (larger screen), as well as two iPhone X nextgen (5.8" and a larger model). Such an Apple lineup could have - Two NEW iPhone X-like models - 1 NEW iPhone LCD (like an iPhone 9) - iPhone 8/8+ - iPhone 7/7+ - iPhone SE
Not a lot of room in there to keep the existing iPhone X. They could of course, but equally logical (or more) to not do so.
Most articles I have read indicate the iPhone X selling very well - especially for a $1000+ phone. The recent Kantar sales share data shows a huge increase in iPhone (no model breakdowns available) share in China in November. I wonder what might have driven that...
Yes, that’s a possibility, assuming ol’ Well-Connected sticks with the prediction of the day. He might, of course, change his mind tomorrow and blame some unforeseen failure inside Apple. That’s what he usually does.
Instead of notch, IPhone LCD 6.1 just puts across top black strip for
underneath cameras/sensors. Many people would be happy with it
as it gives them perception of complete rectangle full screen, top-down,
edge to-edge. Will there be iPhone 8S and 8S Plus with TouchID ?
What many of you are forgetting is that the iPhone X is the first time they ever manufactured devices with OLED screens. If production of this type of screen still has issues then it may be reasonable to put all efforts in the new flagship models while continuing to offer the iPhone classic (7,8...) with LCD technology.
So Apple is going to terminate production of an iPhone after it replaces it with a new model?
Holy cow, somebody tell CNBC.
Daniel, aren't iPhone 7's still in production even tho the 8's and X are out now?
Anyway AFAIK the editor of the AI article was accurate when stating "If this is the case, it would be the first time that Apple has not retained the previous year's model..." Is there a previous instance you can think of? You know far more about Apple than I do.
Actually the article is wrong. Apple aced the 5. When they revealed the 5s instead they introduced the 5c. My guess has always been, the 5s’s only distinguishing feature was the Touch ID so they axed the 5 to keep people from severely cannablizing its sales.
That is not exactly accurate. You could argue that today the iPhone 5S has more distinguishing features in relation to the iPhone 5 than the iPhone X has compared with the iPhone 8. And don’t even get me started on the 6-6S-7-8 series. You see, the simple fact that the 5S has the first 64-bit A-series processor allows it to run versions of iOS that the 5 never will, so the chasm in features (and compatible third-party app availability!) between them will only grow bigger until the former inevitably reaches vintage status.
I wish AI would keep a running side by side of what he (and other key analysts) predict and what actually happens. Kuo seems right only about 50% of the time
He still gets more right than wrong, and he’s better than most others.
Which is not saying much.
The X may be completely discontinued when the X1 is released but not because of demand.
It does make some sence if you think of the X as a special edition model, a special edition collector's model comes, then goes away, the X even has a price tag that suites this. It would make little sence for Apple to keep the X branding indefinitely if it's for a limited edition model. This flattery will also serve nicely to mollify any backlash when the X's prestigious Face ID and OLED dIsplay are lavishly gifted to cheaper more mass reaching devices. What I suspect is that the 8s will subsume the X form factor with the 8s+ serving as the larger version. This might explaine why Apple got the production pipeline of F- ID and OLED right and ready to pump last year for this year's models so that there are no problems.
I’ve been surprised by how many iPhone Xs I’ve already seen in public—a whole lot of notches. Another benefit of the notch is that it makes it easy to tell who is using an iPhone X. I really doubt that sales have been poor.
But it wouldn’t surprise me too much if they didn’t want to sell the current model at a discount next year. It has a number of premium features that they might want to reserve for their most expensive model, like dual OIS, and they might want to reserve as much supply as possible of constrained components (like perhaps the screens, as Thedba mentioned above) for the phones with the highest margins.
I expect that the X will end it's reign this fall with a replacement.
Apple will likely be building the replacement with manufacturing processes that are more finely tuned, to gain a cost reduction, so the replacement model should come in at a lower price point, with the Plus version picking up the high end. Both of those would be OLED models, with a third, at the lowest price point of the three, replacing the OLED for an LED.
All the new models will be FaceID, that's a given, and all likely will have Qi charging.
The question would be which models drop off, and I'd venture that it will be the 6 and 6s, with the SE getting a performance refresh, maybe this spring.
The more likely scenario for the X being retired is that they won't have the OLED production capacity to handle two new 2018 OLED phones (2018 standard and 2018 plus) in addition to continuing to produce the 2017 X.
The more likely scenario for the X being retired is that they won't have the OLED production capacity to handle two new 2018 OLED phones (2018 standard and 2018 plus) in addition to continuing to produce the 2017 X.
So Apple is going to terminate production of an iPhone after it replaces it with a new model?
Holy cow, somebody tell CNBC.
Exactly. That's not what "end of life" means in tech circles. For example, one definition is "An end-of-life (EOL) product is a product that does not receive continuing support, either because existing marketing, support and other processes are terminated, or it is at the end of its useful life."
So Apple is going to terminate production of an iPhone after it replaces it with a new model?
Holy cow, somebody tell CNBC.
Daniel, aren't iPhone 7's still in production even tho the 8's and X are out now?
Anyway AFAIK the editor of the AI article was accurate when stating "If this is the case, it would be the first time that Apple has not retained the previous year's model..." Is there a previous instance you can think of? You know far more about Apple than I do.
Actually the article is wrong. Apple aced the 5. When they revealed the 5s instead they introduced the 5c. My guess has always been, the 5s’s only distinguishing feature was the Touch ID so they axed the 5 to keep people from severely cannablizing its sales.
And the C was a flop. I still contend had the C been priced like the SE was and Apple offered a few more colors like black it would have been a huge hit.
Wrong. The C was the second-best selling phone in the US per the carrier store reports and published right here on AI. You're just spreading the false narrative around.
Comments
No one thinks the X is a failure, at worst a market proof-of-value.
If production of this type of screen still has issues then it may be reasonable to put all efforts in the new flagship models while continuing to offer the iPhone classic (7,8...) with LCD technology.
The X may be completely discontinued when the X1 is released but not because of demand.
But it wouldn’t surprise me too much if they didn’t want to sell the current model at a discount next year. It has a number of premium features that they might want to reserve for their most expensive model, like dual OIS, and they might want to reserve as much supply as possible of constrained components (like perhaps the screens, as Thedba mentioned above) for the phones with the highest margins.
Apple will likely be building the replacement with manufacturing processes that are more finely tuned, to gain a cost reduction, so the replacement model should come in at a lower price point, with the Plus version picking up the high end. Both of those would be OLED models, with a third, at the lowest price point of the three, replacing the OLED for an LED.
All the new models will be FaceID, that's a given, and all likely will have Qi charging.
The question would be which models drop off, and I'd venture that it will be the 6 and 6s, with the SE getting a performance refresh, maybe this spring.