Apple has praised the iPhone 6s for selling a record-shattering 13 million units in its first three days. However, a new report suggests that in Japan the 6s and 6s Plus actually sold 10-15 percent fewer units than last year’s iPhone 6.
How can both of these reported facts (record-breaking sales figures and lower demand) be true at the same time? There is an answer — and, no, it’s not Schrödinger’s iPhone.
Provided that the figures by research firm BCN are accurate, one explanation could be that the iPhone 6s is disproportionately unpopular in Japan compared to other markets. I’d be inclined to doubt this, though, since Japan tends to be a strong market for the iPhone — with Apple’s handsets having accounted for an impressive 60 percent of Japan’s smartphone sales in 2014.
Another possible explanation is put forward by carrier NTT DoCoMo. NTT DoCoMo says the iPhone 6s is selling well, although notes that it had fewer people queuing up for it on launch day. But this, the carrier says, could be due to the fact that — for the first time — stores have announced the date they’ll be receiving new iPhone inventory, possibly delaying some people making their purchases.
The most obvious reason for why overall sales are up while demand could be down, however, relates to the markets which received the iPhone 6s on launch weekend.
In 2014, China was not part of the iPhone 6 opening weekend due to regulatory problems. This year, both China and New Zealand joined the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Kingdom as the first wave of markets to get the iPhone 6s.
More people able to buy the iPhone = more sales, despite lower demand in individual markets.
While this may be evidence that iPhone sales are finally starting to slow down, it’s still way too early to say for sure. After all, if Apple judged success or failure based on the first few days of a product’s availability, the Mac wouldn’t exist today.
Source: Digitimes
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.
5 responses to “iPhone 6s sales may be up to 15% weaker in Japan”
Since Apple does not publish any sales numbers from individual markets, this is pure speculation. Less people were lining up at stores because there were sufficient quantities of iPhones available for order from the Apple Online Store and other authorized stores. Simple explenation.
MAY BE 15% weaker indicates that it’s speculation. I would tend to believe Tim Cook over an outside company’s report. It’s odd why everyone is looking for advanced numbers to find out if iPhone sales are slowing. Why not simply wait for official numbers like they do for most companies? I’ve seen plenty of companies share price rise over speculation and then suddenly drop when actual numbers by the company is announced. With Apple, the share price is going to drop due to speculation then even if better numbers are announced the impending doom will be pushed off to the next quarter and the share price will drop some more. I’m fairly certain Apple shareholders are not going to win as long as there is rampant pessimism about iPhone sales. Apple made the projected sales numbers for weekend iPhone sales but even so there are caveats after the fact.
yeah, sourced from digitimes and apple is doomed (eyes rolling)
I’ll see you on the lifeboats. Women and children first!
“Provided that the figures by research firm BCN are accurate”
Hmm. Apple sales are way down or some unknown company trying to pump itself is wrong… which is more likely to be correct?