One other point is that last year the X was entirely new, new screen type, new body, new size, new custom depth sensors and camera hardware. They likely had a lot to learn about manufacturing it and that slowed how fast they could build The Xs is just an evolution of the X, so it seems reasonable that inventory could ramp much faster.
And even if there was an analyst who could perfectly predict Apples quarterly results, investors should almost always ignore them. The value in Apple has only a small correlation to its intrinsic value. The intrinsic value in Apple is determined by how many phones, devices, computers, and services it will ultimately sell over the next decade (and longer). knowing whether next quarter will be up 5% or down 5% doesn’t help predict that.
Warren Buffett doesn’t care about this quarter, he cares about whether Apple has an enduring competitive advantage. Apple could punt a whole year by selling the wrong phones at the wrong price points., but that changes little in the long run value if they can easily fix the problem. Having iOS with substantial advantages in how tightly their hardware/software can couple and how quickly and widely they can distribute updates to their customers is just two of their enduring advantages that make their job much easier. others include their product development process, service integrations, etc.
Buffett has said you want a business that has such strong competitive advantages an idiot could run it, because someday an idiot likely will. The people who built Apple 2.0 built those advantages and they are far from idiots.
Ya gotta love any journalist that uses the word "bogus" accurately and appropriately in a headline. Parlance in a previous workplace was "bogus/erroneous." It rolls off the tongue.
It is amazing that these people are able to keep their jobs year after year.
It would be amazing if all tech journalism/analysis was based on honestly reviewing facts. With Apple a lot of tech journalists/analysts specialize in FUD. And trashing Apple has a large audience of fans of competing ecosystems who dislike Apple. Apple bashing makes money. For years the Macalope / Macworld column has been tracking journalists/analysts who bash Apple.
I just checked the Apple Store app. It says I can pick up a gold 512 GB XS Max at my local Apple store on Sept 21 if I order it now. That’s really odd seeing how whenever I pre ordered iPhones in the past, if I didn’t order right at midnight on pre sale day, I’d be waiting about a month.
You're saying it's odd but there's always the possibility Apple got ahead on production and they have an ample supply of iPhones. In the past, there was always some story about Apple not being able to get a good start out of the gate with high production numbers. Maybe Apple concentrated on the XS and XS Max production numbers and then decided to produce the XR later. I'm just saying it doesn't have to be low demand. No one but Apple knows that for sure.
I just checked the Apple Store app. It says I can pick up a gold 512 GB XS Max at my local Apple store on Sept 21 if I order it now. That’s really odd seeing how whenever I pre ordered iPhones in the past, if I didn’t order right at midnight on pre sale day, I’d be waiting about a month.
None of the Apple Stores in my area have any of the 512 GB Xs Max available for pick up on Sept 21. There are a lot of Apple Stores in my area.
I guess availability is spotty. No matter what, I’m sure these phones will be a huge hit, as always. I gotta say though, that new gold color is gorgeous.
Only with a crystal clear case will the beauty of the gold iPhone shine through.
It's not mandatory to use a case at all times. I have an X and really enjoy its finish, so I only put the leather case on when at the gym or during some activity where dropping it is increased.
I just checked the Apple Store app. It says I can pick up a gold 512 GB XS Max at my local Apple store on Sept 21 if I order it now. That’s really odd seeing how whenever I pre ordered iPhones in the past, if I didn’t order right at midnight on pre sale day, I’d be waiting about a month.
None of the Apple Stores in my area have any of the 512 GB Xs Max available for pick up on Sept 21. There are a lot of Apple Stores in my area.
I guess availability is spotty. No matter what, I’m sure these phones will be a huge hit, as always. I gotta say though, that new gold color is gorgeous.
Only with a crystal clear case will the beauty of the gold iPhone shine through.
Very true. I’m sure those clear cases will be extremely popular. I was talking to a guy about his iPhone X about 6 months after he got it and he said he specifically bought the silver and always places the phone face down. He said he wasn’t gonna have a $1,000 iPhone and not let anyone see it LOL
Sad that some people need others to validate their purchase.
Not at all. I have the silver and also enjoy the way it looks. Does your car look like shit? You house? Your clothes, hair, and body? Or, do you invest in something you like the look of and maintain it so it continues to look good? Looking good includes looking good to the outside world, eg "other people". Such is life.
Are there any reliable statistics on (or even way to know) how many Apple customers are subscribing to the Upgrade program, and what kind of influence the program's having on YOY unit sales and APS?
So much analysis seems to center around customers making a spending decision based on the (astronomical) asking price of the new phones as a single, bulk-sum transaction, when I suspect there's a bunch of people who don't view it that way at all, just viewing it as an ongoing, monthly bill like a utility.
I just checked the Apple Store app. It says I can pick up a gold 512 GB XS Max at my local Apple store on Sept 21 if I order it now. That’s really odd seeing how whenever I pre ordered iPhones in the past, if I didn’t order right at midnight on pre sale day, I’d be waiting about a month.
None of the Apple Stores in my area have any of the 512 GB Xs Max available for pick up on Sept 21. There are a lot of Apple Stores in my area.
I guess availability is spotty. No matter what, I’m sure these phones will be a huge hit, as always. I gotta say though, that new gold color is gorgeous.
Only with a crystal clear case will the beauty of the gold iPhone shine through.
The problem with clear cases is they always end up turning yellow. I have yet to find one that doesn't do that.
I’ve had the caudabe clear case on the X since release last year and it is not yellow at all. Check it out. It’s thin, and pretty durable and protective. - dropped on concrete a few times. No, I don’t work for them.
I just checked the Apple Store app. It says I can pick up a gold 512 GB XS Max at my local Apple store on Sept 21 if I order it now. That’s really odd seeing how whenever I pre ordered iPhones in the past, if I didn’t order right at midnight on pre sale day, I’d be waiting about a month.
None of the Apple Stores in my area have any of the 512 GB Xs Max available for pick up on Sept 21. There are a lot of Apple Stores in my area.
I guess availability is spotty. No matter what, I’m sure these phones will be a huge hit, as always. I gotta say though, that new gold color is gorgeous.
Only with a crystal clear case will the beauty of the gold iPhone shine through.
The problem with clear cases is they always end up turning yellow. I have yet to find one that doesn't do that.
I’ve had the caudabe clear case on the X since release last year and it is not yellow at all. Check it out. It’s thin, and pretty durable and protective. - dropped on concrete a few times. No, I don’t work for them.
Very positive review of both XS and XsMax phones at New York Times.
I think that both will be big sellers this year because the Camera.
Back when the Apple 6 was out it had a 8MegaPixal camera with 1.4 micron pixels and was considered a great phone camera for image quality.
When the iPhone 6S came out the resolution was increased to 12 MP but the individual pixels dropped to 1.22 microns.
With the XS and XsMax Apple has used a larger sensor that provides 1.4 micron Pixels and this I believe will enable them to make Stunning Pictures. Their Software and AI cores will just make the pictures even better.
Last year a lot of the Android Fan boys talked about the software processing on the Pixel2 making better pictures, but it actually had a 12 MP sensor with 1.4 that made them better. This year I doubt that pixel3 will have that Advantage but I expect Google to either copy Samsung’s variable aperture or Apple dual camera setup.
I expect the XsMax to be the biggest seller, followed by the XR which will pull in people from outside the Apple ecosystem due to the colors and camera. the dual sim support will help boost sales in Europe and Asia. This year will be at least 10% better than last year.
And the Watch will just blow everything out of the water this year. It’s like a design year change and spev Upgrade change ( the ‘S’ years for phones all togther)
I’ve finally learned to listen to Daniel (even when I disagree about minor points) and bought a little more stock ahead of the launch.
Daniel: When do you think Solid State Batteries will show up in phones? Will we see them in the Apple Watch first like OLED?
Look, I’m sure demand is fine however whatever you hear about Apple in Asia having lower demand, it is true. I have lived and worked in Asia 20 years and without question, hardly any middle income people use iPhones any more. I’ve asked why and the answer I get all the time is it’s too expensive and you get a bigger phone with the android manufacturers devices.
This is all started when the iPhone 5 was released when Samsung was producing larger phones. Apple didn’t recover. The market is probably bigger for phones but not just iPhones.
As for the latest phones, it used to be in Hong Kong that if I didn’t place an on line order in the first minute of availability I’d miss out for 3 months. This time I was hours late to be able to try for an XS Max and I could get one for delivery on the 22nd.
Comments
And even if there was an analyst who could perfectly predict Apples quarterly results, investors should almost always ignore them. The value in Apple has only a small correlation to its intrinsic value. The intrinsic value in Apple is determined by how many phones, devices, computers, and services it will ultimately sell over the next decade (and longer). knowing whether next quarter will be up 5% or down 5% doesn’t help predict that.
Warren Buffett doesn’t care about this quarter, he cares about whether Apple has an enduring competitive advantage. Apple could punt a whole year by selling the wrong phones at the wrong price points., but that changes little in the long run value if they can easily fix the problem. Having iOS with substantial advantages in how tightly their hardware/software can couple and how quickly and widely they can distribute updates to their customers is just two of their enduring advantages that make their job much easier. others include their product development process, service integrations, etc.
Buffett has said you want a business that has such strong competitive advantages an idiot could run it, because someday an idiot likely will. The people who built Apple 2.0 built those advantages and they are far from idiots.
Ya gotta love any journalist that uses the word "bogus" accurately and appropriately in a headline. Parlance in a previous workplace was "bogus/erroneous." It rolls off the tongue.
With Apple a lot of tech journalists/analysts specialize in FUD.
And trashing Apple has a large audience of fans of competing ecosystems who dislike Apple.
Apple bashing makes money.
For years the Macalope / Macworld column has been tracking journalists/analysts who bash Apple.
Looks great naked.
Not at all. I have the silver and also enjoy the way it looks. Does your car look like shit? You house? Your clothes, hair, and body? Or, do you invest in something you like the look of and maintain it so it continues to look good? Looking good includes looking good to the outside world, eg "other people". Such is life.
So much analysis seems to center around customers making a spending decision based on the (astronomical) asking price of the new phones as a single, bulk-sum transaction, when I suspect there's a bunch of people who don't view it that way at all, just viewing it as an ongoing, monthly bill like a utility.
I think that both will be big sellers this year because the Camera.
Back when the Apple 6 was out it had a 8MegaPixal camera with 1.4 micron pixels and was considered a great phone camera for image quality.
When the iPhone 6S came out the resolution was increased to 12 MP but the individual pixels dropped to 1.22 microns.
With the XS and XsMax Apple has used a larger sensor that provides 1.4 micron Pixels and this I believe will enable them to make Stunning Pictures.
Their Software and AI cores will just make the pictures even better.
Last year a lot of the Android Fan boys talked about the software processing on the Pixel2 making better pictures, but it actually had a 12 MP sensor with 1.4 that made them better. This year I doubt that pixel3 will have that Advantage but I expect Google to either copy Samsung’s variable aperture or Apple dual camera setup.
I expect the XsMax to be the biggest seller, followed by the XR which will pull in people from outside the Apple ecosystem due to the colors and camera.
the dual sim support will help boost sales in Europe and Asia. This year will be at least 10% better than last year.
And the Watch will just blow everything out of the water this year. It’s like a design year change and spev Upgrade change ( the ‘S’ years for phones all togther)
I’ve finally learned to listen to Daniel (even when I disagree about minor points) and bought a little more stock ahead of the launch.
Daniel: When do you think Solid State Batteries will show up in phones? Will we see them in the Apple Watch first like OLED?
This is all started when the iPhone 5 was released when Samsung was producing larger phones. Apple didn’t recover. The market is probably bigger for phones but not just iPhones.
As for the latest phones, it used to be in Hong Kong that if I didn’t place an on line order in the first minute of availability I’d miss out for 3 months. This time I was hours late to be able to try for an XS Max and I could get one for delivery on the 22nd.