Cook has repeatedly claimed that the iPhone X has topped sales since its November 2017 launch. This is despite the device starting at $999, making it one of the most expensive smartphones ever, and substantially more costly than the iPhone 8 and even the 8 Plus. ASP hit $724 for the quarter, up from $606 during the year ago quarter.
Indeed Kantar Worldpanel ComTech recently claimed that the X was just the fourth-best selling device in the U.S. during the last quarter, outdone by the iPhone 8 series. The X did however cling to first place in China, and has done reasonably well in other markets.
I'm confused. Is this article trying to imply that Cook stating the iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter means it was the best selling iPhone in the quarter? If so, that's a gross misinterpretation of what both Cook and Maestri said. Neither was talking about sales numbers when they made the "most popular" comments. They were talking about customer satisfaction ratings. Specifically, they were referencing the customer satisfaction survey done by 451 Research.
Here's Cook: "Phone had a very strong quarter. Revenue was up 20 percent year-over-year, and the active install base grew by double digits, driven by switchers, first-time smartphone buyers, and our existing customers. iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter once again, with a customer satisfaction score of 98 percent according to 451 Research." Nothing here about sales.
Here's Maestri: "The latest survey of U.S. consumers from 451 Research indicates that across all iPhone models, customer satisfaction was at 96 percent. Combining just the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X, it was even higher at 98 percent. Among business buyers who plan to purchase smartphones in the September quarter, 81 percent plan to purchase iPhones, up three points from the last survey." Nope. Nothing here about sales either.
Probably why Cook said most popular instead of best selling. They don't mean the same thing.
No. Most popular iPhone means it sold the most. ASP was $724, do the math. iPhone 8 Plus is only $799, and Apple sold millions of phones at $350, 450, 550, 700, whatever.
Try to model a weighted average that comes out at $724, without having the most popular model at $999-1149. Can’t be done, the lower priced phones pull down the average drastically, and you can’t sell enough iPhone 8 to offset them.
Popularity has nothing to do with customer satisfaction. 8/8 Plus/X all had 98% customer satisfaction rates. That means customers were satisfied with the purchase; thoughtbit goid value for the money; would buy again; would recommend to friends. On a scale of 1 to 9, how satisfied were you with your purchase, where 1 is not at all satisfied, and 9 is extremely satisfied. Anything 6 and up is considered satisfied.
The SE has high customer sat, but it’s not a very popular phone. Apple only sells maybe 20 million a year.
That's 100% wrong. The most popular comment has everything to do with customer satisfaction. Cook said it while referencing the satisfaction survey. So did Maestri. What you're doing is conflating Cooks comments and the ASP numbers into some unifying theory. In fact, I challenge you to find one, one connection between the quote from Cook and any sales numbers.
You're also wrong about the price modeling. Waaay wrong. I can easily show how the iPhone X doesn't have to be the best selling phone and Apple can raise the ASP. I'll even put the X in 4th place like Kantar. Easy math example: 8+ @ $800 sells 13M units = $10.4B 8 @ $700 sells 12M units = $8.4B 7+ @ $500 sells 11M units = $5.5B X @ $1K sells 10M units - $10B
You have the X selling from 4th place. 46M units generating $34.3B. ASP says "Bobs your uncle". Even if you cut the X unit sales in half (5M units), you're still going to get an ASP over $700.
Cook has repeatedly claimed that the iPhone X has topped sales since its November 2017 launch. This is despite the device starting at $999, making it one of the most expensive smartphones ever, and substantially more costly than the iPhone 8 and even the 8 Plus. ASP hit $724 for the quarter, up from $606 during the year ago quarter.
Indeed Kantar Worldpanel ComTech recently claimed that the X was just the fourth-best selling device in the U.S. during the last quarter, outdone by the iPhone 8 series. The X did however cling to first place in China, and has done reasonably well in other markets.
I'm confused. Is this article trying to imply that Cook stating the iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter means it was the best selling iPhone in the quarter? If so, that's a gross misinterpretation of what both Cook and Maestri said. Neither was talking about sales numbers when they made the "most popular" comments. They were talking about customer satisfaction ratings. Specifically, they were referencing the customer satisfaction survey done by 451 Research.
Here's Cook: "Phone had a very strong quarter. Revenue was up 20 percent year-over-year, and the active install base grew by double digits, driven by switchers, first-time smartphone buyers, and our existing customers. iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter once again, with a customer satisfaction score of 98 percent according to 451 Research." Nothing here about sales.
Here's Maestri: "The latest survey of U.S. consumers from 451 Research indicates that across all iPhone models, customer satisfaction was at 96 percent. Combining just the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X, it was even higher at 98 percent. Among business buyers who plan to purchase smartphones in the September quarter, 81 percent plan to purchase iPhones, up three points from the last survey." Nope. Nothing here about sales either.
Probably why Cook said most popular instead of best selling. They don't mean the same thing.
No. Most popular iPhone means it sold the most. ASP was $724, do the math. iPhone 8 Plus is only $799, and Apple sold millions of phones at $350, 450, 550, 700, whatever.
Try to model a weighted average that comes out at $724, without having the most popular model at $999-1149. Can’t be done, the lower priced phones pull down the average drastically, and you can’t sell enough iPhone 8 to offset them.
Popularity has nothing to do with customer satisfaction. 8/8 Plus/X all had 98% customer satisfaction rates. That means customers were satisfied with the purchase; thoughtbit goid value for the money; would buy again; would recommend to friends. On a scale of 1 to 9, how satisfied were you with your purchase, where 1 is not at all satisfied, and 9 is extremely satisfied. Anything 6 and up is considered satisfied.
The SE has high customer sat, but it’s not a very popular phone. Apple only sells maybe 20 million a year.
That's 100% wrong. The most popular comment has everything to do with customer satisfaction. Cook said it while referencing the satisfaction survey. So did Maestri. What you're doing is conflating Cooks comments and the ASP numbers into some unifying theory. In fact, I challenge you to find one, one connection between the quote from Cook and any sales numbers.
You're also wrong about the price modeling. Waaay wrong. I can easily show how the iPhone X doesn't have to be the best selling phone and Apple can raise the ASP. I'll even put the X in 4th place like Kantar. Easy math example: 8+ @ $800 sells 13M units = $10.4B 8 @ $700 sells 12M units = $8.4B 7+ @ $500 sells 11M units = $5.5B X @ $1K sells 10M units - $10B
You have the X selling from 4th place. 46M units generating $34.3B. ASP says "Bobs your uncle". Even if you cut the X unit sales in half (5M units), you're still going to get an ASP over $700.
Your model needs some work. One third of US sales are SE, 6S, 6S Plus and 7. In the rest of the world, that number is even higher. Apple also still sells the iPhone 6/6 Plus in some countries. Those are the low-priced sales that drag down ASP, but your model leaves them out.
However, as is evident from the many examples I’ll give below, you are conflating most popular with highest customer sat. When Cook says most popular, it’s not a trick to make you think he’s talking about unit sales but instead he’s deceiving you by juxtaposing references to 451’s customer sat scores. No. Time and time again, it is apparent in all three of the earnings calls that Cook uses “most popular” and “best/top selling” interchangeably to refer to unit sales figures.
I hope this this clears up what may have seemed to be an attempt to mislead.
From the Q1 earnings call
Cook: iPhone X was the best selling smartphone in the world in the December quarter, according to Canalys, and it has been our top-selling phone every week since it launched.
To Shannon Cross, during Q&A:
Cook: But since the launch of iPhone X it has been the most popular iPhone every week since, and that is even through today actually, through January.
From the Q2 earnings call
Cook: And customers chose iPhone X more than any other iPhone each week in the March quarter, just as they did following its launch in the December quarter. Since we split the line with the launch of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, this is the first cycle in which the top of the line iPhone model has also been the most popular.
To Michael Olson, during Q&A:
Cook: iPhone X was the most popular smartphone in all of China last quarter. And so iPhone X has done well there. In order to hit a number like 21% on the growth that you see on your data sheet there, there has to be several things working well....The iPhone obviously had to do extremely well to get a 21% number.... We also – more broadly on the iPhone, the iPhone was the top three selling phones in China. And so it's iPhone X was number one, but we had several in the top.
To Brian White, during Q&A:
Cook: China, I continue to believe is a phenomenal country with lots of opportunity from a market point of view.... On the market side, we've seen iPhone X, as I had mentioned before, as being the top selling smartphone during the quarter.
To Wamsi Mohan, during Q&A:
Cook: We were surprised somewhat that through all of this period of time that the iPhone X winds up at the most selling, most popular for every week of the time since the launch. And so that's I think a powerful point. And it's number one in China, which is another powerful point.
From the Q3 earnings call
Cook: iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter once again, with a customer satisfaction score of 98% according to 451 Research.
To Shannon Cross, during Q&A:
Cook: And so if you, and look at iPhone X in particular, it's the most innovative smartphone on the market. We priced it at a level that represented the value of it and we could not be happier that it has been the top selling iPhone since the launch, and so we feel terrific about iPhone X.
Cook has repeatedly claimed that the iPhone X has topped sales since its November 2017 launch. This is despite the device starting at $999, making it one of the most expensive smartphones ever, and substantially more costly than the iPhone 8 and even the 8 Plus. ASP hit $724 for the quarter, up from $606 during the year ago quarter.
Indeed Kantar Worldpanel ComTech recently claimed that the X was just the fourth-best selling device in the U.S. during the last quarter, outdone by the iPhone 8 series. The X did however cling to first place in China, and has done reasonably well in other markets.
I'm confused. Is this article trying to imply that Cook stating the iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter means it was the best selling iPhone in the quarter? If so, that's a gross misinterpretation of what both Cook and Maestri said. Neither was talking about sales numbers when they made the "most popular" comments. They were talking about customer satisfaction ratings. Specifically, they were referencing the customer satisfaction survey done by 451 Research.
Here's Cook: "Phone had a very strong quarter. Revenue was up 20 percent year-over-year, and the active install base grew by double digits, driven by switchers, first-time smartphone buyers, and our existing customers. iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter once again, with a customer satisfaction score of 98 percent according to 451 Research." Nothing here about sales.
Here's Maestri: "The latest survey of U.S. consumers from 451 Research indicates that across all iPhone models, customer satisfaction was at 96 percent. Combining just the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X, it was even higher at 98 percent. Among business buyers who plan to purchase smartphones in the September quarter, 81 percent plan to purchase iPhones, up three points from the last survey." Nope. Nothing here about sales either.
Probably why Cook said most popular instead of best selling. They don't mean the same thing.
No. Most popular iPhone means it sold the most. ASP was $724, do the math. iPhone 8 Plus is only $799, and Apple sold millions of phones at $350, 450, 550, 700, whatever.
Try to model a weighted average that comes out at $724, without having the most popular model at $999-1149. Can’t be done, the lower priced phones pull down the average drastically, and you can’t sell enough iPhone 8 to offset them.
Popularity has nothing to do with customer satisfaction. 8/8 Plus/X all had 98% customer satisfaction rates. That means customers were satisfied with the purchase; thoughtbit goid value for the money; would buy again; would recommend to friends. On a scale of 1 to 9, how satisfied were you with your purchase, where 1 is not at all satisfied, and 9 is extremely satisfied. Anything 6 and up is considered satisfied.
The SE has high customer sat, but it’s not a very popular phone. Apple only sells maybe 20 million a year.
That's 100% wrong. The most popular comment has everything to do with customer satisfaction. Cook said it while referencing the satisfaction survey. So did Maestri. What you're doing is conflating Cooks comments and the ASP numbers into some unifying theory. In fact, I challenge you to find one, one connection between the quote from Cook and any sales numbers.
You're also wrong about the price modeling. Waaay wrong. I can easily show how the iPhone X doesn't have to be the best selling phone and Apple can raise the ASP. I'll even put the X in 4th place like Kantar. Easy math example: 8+ @ $800 sells 13M units = $10.4B 8 @ $700 sells 12M units = $8.4B 7+ @ $500 sells 11M units = $5.5B X @ $1K sells 10M units - $10B
You have the X selling from 4th place. 46M units generating $34.3B. ASP says "Bobs your uncle". Even if you cut the X unit sales in half (5M units), you're still going to get an ASP over $700.
Your model needs some work. One third of US sales are SE, 6S, 6S Plus and 7. In the rest of the world, that number is even higher. Apple also still sells the iPhone 6/6 Plus in some countries. Those are the low-priced sales that drag down ASP, but your model leaves them out.
However, as is evident from the many examples I’ll give below, you are conflating most popular with highest customer sat. When Cook says most popular, it’s not a trick to make you think he’s talking about unit sales but instead he’s deceiving you by juxtaposing references to 451’s customer sat scores. No. Time and time again, it is apparent in all three of the earnings calls that Cook uses “most popular” and “best/top selling” interchangeably to refer to unit sales figures.
I hope this this clears up what may have seemed to be an attempt to mislead.
From the Q1 earnings call
Cook: iPhone X was the best selling smartphone in the world in the December quarter, according to Canalys, and it has been our top-selling phone every week since it launched.
To Shannon Cross, during Q&A:
Cook: But since the launch of iPhone X it has been the most popular iPhone every week since, and that is even through today actually, through January.
From the Q2 earnings call
Cook: And customers chose iPhone X more than any other iPhone each week in the March quarter, just as they did following its launch in the December quarter. Since we split the line with the launch of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, this is the first cycle in which the top of the line iPhone model has also been the most popular.
To Michael Olson, during Q&A:
Cook: iPhone X was the most popular smartphone in all of China last quarter. And so iPhone X has done well there. In order to hit a number like 21% on the growth that you see on your data sheet there, there has to be several things working well....The iPhone obviously had to do extremely well to get a 21% number.... We also – more broadly on the iPhone, the iPhone was the top three selling phones in China. And so it's iPhone X was number one, but we had several in the top.
To Brian White, during Q&A:
Cook: China, I continue to believe is a phenomenal country with lots of opportunity from a market point of view.... On the market side, we've seen iPhone X, as I had mentioned before, as being the top selling smartphone during the quarter.
To Wamsi Mohan, during Q&A:
Cook: We were surprised somewhat that through all of this period of time that the iPhone X winds up at the most selling, most popular for every week of the time since the launch. And so that's I think a powerful point. And it's number one in China, which is another powerful point.
From the Q3 earnings call
Cook: iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter once again, with a customer satisfaction score of 98% according to 451 Research.
To Shannon Cross, during Q&A:
Cook: And so if you, and look at iPhone X in particular, it's the most innovative smartphone on the market. We priced it at a level that represented the value of it and we could not be happier that it has been the top selling iPhone since the launch, and so we feel terrific about iPhone X.
Nicely done.
I would note that there's an expectation by some analysts that the three new models coming out in September will be pushing into the realm of 75% of U.S. sales, driven by X features at lower price points. People love the X, and it will be easier to buy for them, but that seems high. I'm on the fence about an upgrade myself, being happy with my 7 Plus, and waiting for triple cameras and pencil support in 2019 on the 6.5 inch model, an expectation that might be folly on my part.
Cook has repeatedly claimed that the iPhone X has topped sales since its November 2017 launch. This is despite the device starting at $999, making it one of the most expensive smartphones ever, and substantially more costly than the iPhone 8 and even the 8 Plus. ASP hit $724 for the quarter, up from $606 during the year ago quarter.
Indeed Kantar Worldpanel ComTech recently claimed that the X was just the fourth-best selling device in the U.S. during the last quarter, outdone by the iPhone 8 series. The X did however cling to first place in China, and has done reasonably well in other markets.
I'm confused. Is this article trying to imply that Cook stating the iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter means it was the best selling iPhone in the quarter? If so, that's a gross misinterpretation of what both Cook and Maestri said. Neither was talking about sales numbers when they made the "most popular" comments. They were talking about customer satisfaction ratings. Specifically, they were referencing the customer satisfaction survey done by 451 Research.
Here's Cook: "Phone had a very strong quarter. Revenue was up 20 percent year-over-year, and the active install base grew by double digits, driven by switchers, first-time smartphone buyers, and our existing customers. iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter once again, with a customer satisfaction score of 98 percent according to 451 Research." Nothing here about sales.
Here's Maestri: "The latest survey of U.S. consumers from 451 Research indicates that across all iPhone models, customer satisfaction was at 96 percent. Combining just the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X, it was even higher at 98 percent. Among business buyers who plan to purchase smartphones in the September quarter, 81 percent plan to purchase iPhones, up three points from the last survey." Nope. Nothing here about sales either.
Probably why Cook said most popular instead of best selling. They don't mean the same thing.
No. Most popular iPhone means it sold the most. ASP was $724, do the math. iPhone 8 Plus is only $799, and Apple sold millions of phones at $350, 450, 550, 700, whatever.
Try to model a weighted average that comes out at $724, without having the most popular model at $999-1149. Can’t be done, the lower priced phones pull down the average drastically, and you can’t sell enough iPhone 8 to offset them.
Popularity has nothing to do with customer satisfaction. 8/8 Plus/X all had 98% customer satisfaction rates. That means customers were satisfied with the purchase; thoughtbit goid value for the money; would buy again; would recommend to friends. On a scale of 1 to 9, how satisfied were you with your purchase, where 1 is not at all satisfied, and 9 is extremely satisfied. Anything 6 and up is considered satisfied.
The SE has high customer sat, but it’s not a very popular phone. Apple only sells maybe 20 million a year.
That's 100% wrong. The most popular comment has everything to do with customer satisfaction. Cook said it while referencing the satisfaction survey. So did Maestri. What you're doing is conflating Cooks comments and the ASP numbers into some unifying theory. In fact, I challenge you to find one, one connection between the quote from Cook and any sales numbers.
You're also wrong about the price modeling. Waaay wrong. I can easily show how the iPhone X doesn't have to be the best selling phone and Apple can raise the ASP. I'll even put the X in 4th place like Kantar. Easy math example: 8+ @ $800 sells 13M units = $10.4B 8 @ $700 sells 12M units = $8.4B 7+ @ $500 sells 11M units = $5.5B X @ $1K sells 10M units - $10B
You have the X selling from 4th place. 46M units generating $34.3B. ASP says "Bobs your uncle". Even if you cut the X unit sales in half (5M units), you're still going to get an ASP over $700.
Your model needs some work. One third of US sales are SE, 6S, 6S Plus and 7. In the rest of the world, that number is even higher. Apple also still sells the iPhone 6/6 Plus in some countries. Those are the low-priced sales that drag down ASP, but your model leaves them out.
However, as is evident from the many examples I’ll give below, you are conflating most popular with highest customer sat. When Cook says most popular, it’s not a trick to make you think he’s talking about unit sales but instead he’s deceiving you by juxtaposing references to 451’s customer sat scores. No. Time and time again, it is apparent in all three of the earnings calls that Cook uses “most popular” and “best/top selling” interchangeably to refer to unit sales figures.
I hope this this clears up what may have seemed to be an attempt to mislead.
From the Q1 earnings call
Cook: iPhone X was the best selling smartphone in the world in the December quarter, according to Canalys, and it has been our top-selling phone every week since it launched.
To Shannon Cross, during Q&A:
Cook: But since the launch of iPhone X it has been the most popular iPhone every week since, and that is even through today actually, through January.
From the Q2 earnings call
Cook: And customers chose iPhone X more than any other iPhone each week in the March quarter, just as they did following its launch in the December quarter. Since we split the line with the launch of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, this is the first cycle in which the top of the line iPhone model has also been the most popular.
To Michael Olson, during Q&A:
Cook: iPhone X was the most popular smartphone in all of China last quarter. And so iPhone X has done well there. In order to hit a number like 21% on the growth that you see on your data sheet there, there has to be several things working well....The iPhone obviously had to do extremely well to get a 21% number.... We also – more broadly on the iPhone, the iPhone was the top three selling phones in China. And so it's iPhone X was number one, but we had several in the top.
To Brian White, during Q&A:
Cook: China, I continue to believe is a phenomenal country with lots of opportunity from a market point of view.... On the market side, we've seen iPhone X, as I had mentioned before, as being the top selling smartphone during the quarter.
To Wamsi Mohan, during Q&A:
Cook: We were surprised somewhat that through all of this period of time that the iPhone X winds up at the most selling, most popular for every week of the time since the launch. And so that's I think a powerful point. And it's number one in China, which is another powerful point.
From the Q3 earnings call
Cook: iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter once again, with a customer satisfaction score of 98% according to 451 Research.
To Shannon Cross, during Q&A:
Cook: And so if you, and look at iPhone X in particular, it's the most innovative smartphone on the market. We priced it at a level that represented the value of it and we could not be happier that it has been the top selling iPhone since the launch, and so we feel terrific about iPhone X.
Respectfully, that model needs no work at all. I specifically used simple numbers to emphasize a point. The X does not have to be the best selling iPhone to raise the ASP. There is no denying that. There are plenty of variable mixes that raise the ASP without the X being the best selling. So let's put that one to bed.
Curious. What's the point of providing quotes of Cook saying the X was the best selling phone? That doesn't corroborate that Cook means best selling when he says most popular. You have 2 quotes that lend credence to Cook using most popular and best selling interchangeably: "Cook: And customers chose iPhone X more than any other iPhone each week in the March quarter, just as they did following its launch in the December quarter. Since we split the line with the launch of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, this is the first cycle in which the top of the line iPhone model has also been the most popular." and "Cook: iPhone X was the most popular smartphone in all of China last quarter... the iPhone was the top three selling phones in China. And so it's iPhone X was number one, but we had several in the top."
Those are the only quotes where he uses popular while referencing sales. The rest are just filler. Aaaaaand we're back to his most recent quotes. In one he uses popular while referencing cust sat. In the other, he doesn't say even say the iPhone X was the top selling iPhone in the quarter. He said it's the top selling since launch. Not this quarter. He is including sales numbers from December through the end of the most recent reporting period in that statement. That's that Cook corporate speak that I don't like.
Anyone who knows my history from other sites knows that I am generally a fan of Cook. I think he has done a kick ass job of guiding Apple; record sales and a trillion dollar valuation are evidence of that. He does have two traits that I criticize: corporate speak and sappiness. He uses words and phrases that invite interpretation. I personally think he does it intentionally, because he does it so often. Drives me nuts. He runs a company that sells commodity electronics. He runs it extremely well. Probably better than anyone else could have. Screw probably, just plain better than anyone else could have. Full stop. But... he talks about selling commodity electronics as if it's like bringing water to sub-Saharan refugees. It ain't. He's doing no harm, but it just bugs the Bejeebus out of me. Anywho, we're here about semantic word play.
Tell you what. You keep thinking he is referencing sales. I'll keep thinking he isn't. We will both be okay.
Comments
You're also wrong about the price modeling. Waaay wrong. I can easily show how the iPhone X doesn't have to be the best selling phone and Apple can raise the ASP. I'll even put the X in 4th place like Kantar. Easy math example:
8+ @ $800 sells 13M units = $10.4B
8 @ $700 sells 12M units = $8.4B
7+ @ $500 sells 11M units = $5.5B
X @ $1K sells 10M units - $10B
You have the X selling from 4th place. 46M units generating $34.3B. ASP says "Bobs your uncle". Even if you cut the X unit sales in half (5M units), you're still going to get an ASP over $700.
However, as is evident from the many examples I’ll give below, you are conflating most popular with highest customer sat. When Cook says most popular, it’s not a trick to make you think he’s talking about unit sales but instead he’s deceiving you by juxtaposing references to 451’s customer sat scores. No. Time and time again, it is apparent in all three of the earnings calls that Cook uses “most popular” and “best/top selling” interchangeably to refer to unit sales figures.
I hope this this clears up what may have seemed to be an attempt to mislead.
From the Q1 earnings call
Cook: iPhone X was the best selling smartphone in the world in the December quarter, according to Canalys, and it has been our top-selling phone every week since it launched.
To Shannon Cross, during Q&A:
Cook: But since the launch of iPhone X it has been the most popular iPhone every week since, and that is even through today actually, through January.
From the Q2 earnings call
Cook: And customers chose iPhone X more than any other iPhone each week in the March quarter, just as they did following its launch in the December quarter. Since we split the line with the launch of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, this is the first cycle in which the top of the line iPhone model has also been the most popular.
To Michael Olson, during Q&A:
Cook: iPhone X was the most popular smartphone in all of China last quarter. And so iPhone X has done well there. In order to hit a number like 21% on the growth that you see on your data sheet there, there has to be several things working well....The iPhone obviously had to do extremely well to get a 21% number.... We also – more broadly on the iPhone, the iPhone was the top three selling phones in China. And so it's iPhone X was number one, but we had several in the top.
To Brian White, during Q&A:
Cook: China, I continue to believe is a phenomenal country with lots of opportunity from a market point of view.... On the market side, we've seen iPhone X, as I had mentioned before, as being the top selling smartphone during the quarter.
To Wamsi Mohan, during Q&A:
Cook: We were surprised somewhat that through all of this period of time that the iPhone X winds up at the most selling, most popular for every week of the time since the launch. And so that's I think a powerful point. And it's number one in China, which is another powerful point.
From the Q3 earnings callCook: iPhone X was the most popular iPhone in the quarter once again, with a customer satisfaction score of 98% according to 451 Research.
To Shannon Cross, during Q&A:
Cook: And so if you, and look at iPhone X in particular, it's the most innovative smartphone on the market. We priced it at a level that represented the value of it and we could not be happier that it has been the top selling iPhone since the launch, and so we feel terrific about iPhone X.
I would note that there's an expectation by some analysts that the three new models coming out in September will be pushing into the realm of 75% of U.S. sales, driven by X features at lower price points. People love the X, and it will be easier to buy for them, but that seems high. I'm on the fence about an upgrade myself, being happy with my 7 Plus, and waiting for triple cameras and pencil support in 2019 on the 6.5 inch model, an expectation that might be folly on my part.
Curious. What's the point of providing quotes of Cook saying the X was the best selling phone? That doesn't corroborate that Cook means best selling when he says most popular. You have 2 quotes that lend credence to Cook using most popular and best selling interchangeably:
"Cook: And customers chose iPhone X more than any other iPhone each week in the March quarter, just as they did following its launch in the December quarter. Since we split the line with the launch of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, this is the first cycle in which the top of the line iPhone model has also been the most popular."
and
"Cook: iPhone X was the most popular smartphone in all of China last quarter... the iPhone was the top three selling phones in China. And so it's iPhone X was number one, but we had several in the top."
Those are the only quotes where he uses popular while referencing sales. The rest are just filler. Aaaaaand we're back to his most recent quotes. In one he uses popular while referencing cust sat. In the other, he doesn't say even say the iPhone X was the top selling iPhone in the quarter. He said it's the top selling since launch. Not this quarter. He is including sales numbers from December through the end of the most recent reporting period in that statement. That's that Cook corporate speak that I don't like.
Anyone who knows my history from other sites knows that I am generally a fan of Cook. I think he has done a kick ass job of guiding Apple; record sales and a trillion dollar valuation are evidence of that. He does have two traits that I criticize: corporate speak and sappiness. He uses words and phrases that invite interpretation. I personally think he does it intentionally, because he does it so often. Drives me nuts. He runs a company that sells commodity electronics. He runs it extremely well. Probably better than anyone else could have. Screw probably, just plain better than anyone else could have. Full stop. But... he talks about selling commodity electronics as if it's like bringing water to sub-Saharan refugees. It ain't. He's doing no harm, but it just bugs the Bejeebus out of me. Anywho, we're here about semantic word play.
Tell you what. You keep thinking he is referencing sales. I'll keep thinking he isn't. We will both be okay.