Consumer Intelligence Research Partners today released analysis that finds that iPhone 11 and 11 Pro/Pro Max models accounted for 65% of US iPhone sales during the quarter ending April 2020. The new iPhone SE accounted for 19% of US iPhone sales during the quarter (Chart 1).
“The Fall 2019 iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models remain the most popular, combining for around two-thirds of sales” said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. “Comparison again are tricky, with the launch of iPhone SE at the end of April 2020. A year ago, iPhone XR took almost half of sales in the quarter. This year, sales were divided among more diverse models, with even the lowest-priced and ultimately retired iPhone 8 and 8 Plus having 8% of sales. At the end of this past quarter, Apple has a simpler lineup than in the past, with just the XR, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, and new SE. Within that lineup, iPhone SE accounted for a decent share at 19%, even though it was available for only a portion of the quarter. At $399 for the base model, SE comes is priced well below the year-old XR, and very successfully replaces the almost three- year-old iPhone 8 models at the entry price point.”
For iPhone SE, CIRP determined that Apple customers were more likely to upgrade from another iPhone, generally a significantly older model (Table 1).
“Every few years Apple comes out with a new low-priced iPhone, with up-to-date features, to sweep up the customers using the oldest iPhones,” said Mike Levin, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. “iPhone SE seems to have reached this specific segment of long-time iPhone users. Even though operating system switching has diminished in recent years, even more SE buyers came from within the iOS installed base compared to buyers for other iPhone models. And, in the quarter, SE buyers had really old phones, with almost three-quarters having an iPhone that was three years old or more. So, they upgraded from iPhone 5, 6, or 7 models, which meant these users really waited awhile to buy a new phone. These are users who evidently resisted upgrading to newer phones at more attractive price points, such as iPhone 11, last year’s iPhone XR, and even the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which launched in 2017, as its prices declined over the years.”
CIRP bases its findings on its survey of 500 US Apple customers that purchased an iPhone, iPad, Mac computer, or Apple Watch in the April-June 2020 period.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s new iPhone SE looks to be doing its job of replacing old iPhone 5, 6, and 7 series hardware well!
The new iPhone SE is not the compact option the original was.
Ah.. look at the chart. It validates exactly what I have been saying for years. Apple is missing the boat on people’s desire to purchase a smaller phone. Hopefully someone with a brain will see the data and offer new devices in smaller sizes (like 4″).