Apple will drop its incremental “s” iPhone release next year in favor of jumping straight to the iPhone 8, claims Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz.
Moskowitz backs up previous suggestions that the iPhone that launches in 2017 will boast the biggest upgrade since 2014’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus — with OLED displays and wireless charging, but lacking a physical home button. He predicts the massive revamp will lead to what he calls a “mega cycle” upgrade.
As for this year’s iPhone 7? He’s not so optimistic.
According to Moskowitz, the iPhone 7 will be “more of a replacement cycle” iPhone, in line with an incremental “s” release, than a full-blown reinvention. The main improvement is likely to be the elimination of the headphone jack (possibly in favor of some smart wireless EarPods), but nothing much else beyond the usual tweaks and component upgrades.
Based on this, the Barclays analyst thinks Apple will sell 1.8 percent fewer iPhones this year than it did in 2015. This is in contrast to an earlier prediction he made, suggesting that sales would pick up 2.6 percent for 2016.
It’s definitely an interesting move if Apple does decide to go with back-to-back years of incremental iPhone releases (with the 6s and 7), particularly at a time when iPhone sales are slowing down. Just to be clear, even 1.8 percent fewer iPhones sold in 2016 would still be an absolutely enormous number of iPhones: around 227 million iPhones by my count.
Still, if true, the change would show that Apple is perhaps feeling a bit less need to conform to its traditional biannual major upgrade cycle as schemes like its own iPhone Upgrade Program take off.
We’ll have to wait some time to find out for sure whether Moskowitz’s predictions are on the money. However, they do chime with recent reports from more-reliable-than-most Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a recent note to clients, Kuo suggested that the 2017-era iPhone will also sport an all-glass enclosure instead of its usual aluminum one.
Are you excited about the iPhone 7, or will you just save your money and go straight for the iPhone 8?
Source: Fortune
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
15 responses to “Apple might ditch iPhone 7s and jump straight to iPhone 8”
To wait another year. Not so sure.
Expecting more than a minor refresh for the 10th iPhone to be released in Septemeber 2016. However, if the rumor is true and picked up by major news outlets, then it could have a more significant impact on sales over the next sixteen months.
I think it’s more a case of iPhone 6SE and then iPhone 7.
If this is the case, they’re willing to take some short-term criticism and reduction in sales to reset their product release cycles. I, for one, won’t buy a third consecutive phone with the same form factor and I feel most will concur. I bought the 6S+ for 3D Touch which I rarely use. A dual camera and upgraded specs aren’t adequate selling points. Not to mention I can keep using my headphones. Also, my 6S+ is jail-broken and I’ll be happy saving the $47/month on my AT&T bill while keeping my free tethering, movies, TV shows, music and apps. A 5SE and 6SE look like unfortunate imminent profit-milking holding-patterns and I’m hitting eject.
While many will be disappointed in the disposal of wired earbuds, it’s bound to happen. Phone plugins have been around since I owned my brick phone.
Yeah, if this really is Apple’s plan, they’re going to lose on sales for the iPhone 7. I was planning to upgrade for my 6, but….not if this one is just an incremental upgrade. I’ll wait that extra year.
For those who bought the 6/6+, this is the end of the two year upgrade cycle, which means it’s a perfect time to jump on the iPhone upgrade program. Then it won’t matter. I don’t care if it’s the 7 or the 6se, I’m getting on the upgrade program bandwagon at launch, then I’ll get the newer phone a year later.
That’s exactly my thought… But only if they bring the iPhone Upgrade Program to the UK in September!!
Removing the audio jack is not an improvement. I have enough investment in jack related products to drop the iPhone if this happens and I am a long term Apple user. Horrible direction for them if this is true.
As the article says…this seems like a poor strategy at a time when they really need a big popular release. I get Ive’s thoughts on not just changing things for the sake of having something that looks new, but I think this years too important to not impress. An iPhone 6SS isn’t going to cut the mustard. I’m on a 6 at the minute and was looking forward to upgrading but will probably wait yet another 12 months.
The two biggest words that really stuck out to me were “claims” and “thinks”.
This is not an Apple insider talking about incremental increases it is a Barclays Analyst. Not only that but he got 2015’s prediction sales figures wrong!
Take the whole thing with a pinch of salt.
Not sure what they could do to get me to upgrade my 6+. I just need to replace the battery as its not as efficient anymore. Otherwise, the phone does everything I need. By the time the new battery goes. I’ll see what happens.
“Still, if true, the change would show that Apple is perhaps feeling a bit less need to conform to its traditional biannual major upgrade cycle as schemes like its own iPhone Upgrade Program take off.” By launching the Upgrade Program, Apple would seem to be entering into a contractual commitment to have a new phone ready each and every year (something it has never done before for any product), and I doubt that introducing mere cosmetic changes such as making a phone available in Rose Gold would be deemed to satisfy the terms of the contract, some genuinely significant improvement would be necessary or Apple would be confronted with a class action suit.
Next year is the iPhone’s 10th anniversary. Apple isn’t going to completely redesign the iPhone this year and then have a boring S version for it’s 10th birthday.
Meanwhile SE sold out in US UK Aus. and China…2-4 week wait times despite FoxCom having 500,000 to 1 Million A DAY build capability