iPhone X seen as 'strategic success' for Apple as 3D sensing cameras 2 years ahead of comp...
Fretting over iPhone X sales data is a fool's errand, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes, as he told investors on Monday that the premium-priced handset is a key strategic move for the company, positioning it far ahead of competitors for years to come.
Kuo, of KGI Securities, said the iPhone X has been a "strategic success" for Apple, cementing long-term competitive advantages for the company with Face ID and the TrueDepth cameras. His take was issued in a note to investors on Monday, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider.
In his view, the 3D sensing capabilities in the iPhone X will pave the way for more advanced augmented reality and artificial intelligence applications. These could be simple and fun enhancements like further improvements to Animoji, or more advanced capabilities such as superior understanding of user behavior.
Kuo believes copycats will be in full effect in 2018, scrambling to put their own Face ID competitors into smartphones. But Apple's technical advantages have it up to two years ahead of the competition currently, in his view.
"We believe the iPhone X has established a long-term edge for Apple," he said.
The $999-and-up pricing of the iPhone X has also changed the mindset on what smartphones should cost, giving Apple more flexibility to expand its lineup and introduce premium features in the years to come.
To maintain that pricing psychology, Kuo believes that the 2017 iPhone X will be discontinued later this year -- a prediction he reiterated from a separate note issued last week. Rather than keeping the model around and dropping the price, he believes Apple will introduce new models at the current prices, leaving the legacy iPhone X behind in its sales lineup.
In his view, the iPhone X will prove to be a long-term success for Apple, as future handsets will benefit from the path it has trailblazed. He expects that new handsets in the second half of 2018 will make up for any perceived sales "shortfalls" with the current lineup.
Later this year, Apple is expected to expand the iPhone X lineup with a so-called "iPhone X Plus," boasting the size of a larger Plus-sized iPhone model with an edge-to-edge OLED screen.
It's also expected that a new 6.1-inch LCD model with Face ID and lacking a home button, but without an edge-to-edge OLED display, will also become a part of the iPhone lineup.
Prior to that, Apple is also rumored to ship a budget-priced second-generation iPhone SE that will serve as the new entry-level model. Unlike the iPhone X or new handsets expected in late 2018, it is not anticipated to have advanced technology, and will instead focus on selling the iPhone experience to price-conscious consumers.
Kuo, of KGI Securities, said the iPhone X has been a "strategic success" for Apple, cementing long-term competitive advantages for the company with Face ID and the TrueDepth cameras. His take was issued in a note to investors on Monday, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider.
In his view, the 3D sensing capabilities in the iPhone X will pave the way for more advanced augmented reality and artificial intelligence applications. These could be simple and fun enhancements like further improvements to Animoji, or more advanced capabilities such as superior understanding of user behavior.
Kuo believes copycats will be in full effect in 2018, scrambling to put their own Face ID competitors into smartphones. But Apple's technical advantages have it up to two years ahead of the competition currently, in his view.
"We believe the iPhone X has established a long-term edge for Apple," he said.
The $999-and-up pricing of the iPhone X has also changed the mindset on what smartphones should cost, giving Apple more flexibility to expand its lineup and introduce premium features in the years to come.
To maintain that pricing psychology, Kuo believes that the 2017 iPhone X will be discontinued later this year -- a prediction he reiterated from a separate note issued last week. Rather than keeping the model around and dropping the price, he believes Apple will introduce new models at the current prices, leaving the legacy iPhone X behind in its sales lineup.
In his view, the iPhone X will prove to be a long-term success for Apple, as future handsets will benefit from the path it has trailblazed. He expects that new handsets in the second half of 2018 will make up for any perceived sales "shortfalls" with the current lineup.
Later this year, Apple is expected to expand the iPhone X lineup with a so-called "iPhone X Plus," boasting the size of a larger Plus-sized iPhone model with an edge-to-edge OLED screen.
It's also expected that a new 6.1-inch LCD model with Face ID and lacking a home button, but without an edge-to-edge OLED display, will also become a part of the iPhone lineup.
Prior to that, Apple is also rumored to ship a budget-priced second-generation iPhone SE that will serve as the new entry-level model. Unlike the iPhone X or new handsets expected in late 2018, it is not anticipated to have advanced technology, and will instead focus on selling the iPhone experience to price-conscious consumers.
Comments
Or he is the only honest one that put the money where his mouth is?
Seems a bit of hedging one's bets a bit.
Does this mean the X replacement will be the regular iPhone price, or still 999? Or both, one at the regular price with the edge to edgeish screen, the other still at 999 with some hard to scale costly feature (promotion pls)?
If I had a Jeff Bezos $100 Billion I would not pay that much for a cell phone and I have no interest in any face recognition system.
Cannot for the life of me understand the BFD being made over an OLED screen. As to cameras, I have Leicas that smoke any cell phone snapshot camera.
Price Consciousness should be translated to rational, sentient being. In the end, your $1k does not buy you faster internet, better sound, better battery life or more storage capacity. It does get you a lighter wallet
can your Leica make a phone call or internet browsing? Leica is pos overrated camera for normal users. Go to DPreiew and look at the reviews!
btw, ask Samsung how much they priced the Note 8...it’s $969 without a god damn 3-D Face sensor! Now take that to save you $30.