“Apple’s iPhone 5C is in some deep trouble in China, it appears,” Don Reisinger reports for CNET.
“Unlike the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S, which have watched sales soar since their launch last year, the iPhone 5C has had trouble getting off the ground, new data from China-based analytics company Umeng shows,” Reisinger reports. “The iPhone 5 is actually the most popular Apple smartphone in China at the moment, accounting for about 15 percent of Umeng’s network. The iPhone 5S comes in at 12 percent, while the iPhone 5C can only muster 2 percent.”
Reisinger reports, “Although Apple doesn’t announce unit sales itself, the company’s iPhone 5C is believed to be its least-popular handset and has failed to capture the attention of those on a budget.”
Read more in the full article here.
Steven Millward reports for The South China Post, “Apple reportedly limited production of the iPhone 5c shortly following the product’s launch, and rumours have suggested that the device may be discontinued following the launch of the iPhone 6 later this year.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This was rather obvious when iPhone 5c specs/pricing was unveiled:
The iPhone 5s is separated from iPhone 5c in many ways: Touch ID fingerprint recognition, materials quality, the camera’s larger 8MP sensor with 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture, dual LED True Tone flash, Burst mode, slo-mo video, improved video stabilization, a 64GB option, and, of course, the A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor.
Unless you’re allergic to aluminum and/or fine craftsmanship, there is no reason why anyone who can afford an iPhone would not buy an iPhone 5s (unless you’re buying a first iPhone for your son or daughter). Even then, if you want a brightly colored polycarbonate phone or some feeling of extra protection from drops and dings, slap a plastic case on the iPhone 5s. There, it almost weighs as much as the 5c now.
The bulk of any smartphone cost is the data, not the phone.
Am I missing something or is the price difference between the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c too insignificant to ever consider opting for the 5c?
Why the hell would anyone buy an iPhone 5c instead of an iPhone 5s?
It seems to me that Apple is using the iPhone 5c as a tool to push buyers to the 5s (well, at least those buyers who can grasp a simple value equation).
Once Apple gets the customer to the websites or into the stores and the prospective buyer can see and/or hold both phones and learn that they’re only separated by a mere $100, my guess is that Apple figures they’ll have plenty of upsales occurring. Upsales that will boost Apple’s iPhone margins nicely. — SteveJack, MacDailyNews: “Why would anyone buy an iPhone 5c instead of an iPhone 5s?” – September 10, 2013, the very day both iPhones were revealed
Related articles:
More evidence that the iPhone 5c is a worldwide flop – March 13, 2014
Will Apple unapologetically abandon plastic after apparent failure of iPhone 5c? – March 4, 2014
Cook tacitly admits Apple blew it with iPhone 5c – January 28, 2014
Was iPhone 5c the cause of Apple’s woes? – January 28, 2014
MacDailyNews presents live notes from Apple’s Q114 Conference Call – January 27, 2014
Why would anyone buy an iPhone 5c instead of an iPhone 5s? – September 10, 2013