Thanks to aggressive pricing and the continuation of the 5G upgrade cycle, Apple’s iPhone 13 stands an excellent chance of being even more successful than the runaway hit iPhone 12.
Harsh Chauhan for The Motley Fool:
The iPhone 12 helped Apple become a dominant player in the 5G smartphone market. Strategy Analytics estimates that Apple held 29% of the 5G smartphone market thanks to the iPhone 12. The new iPhone models are expected to push that market share up to 40% as more consumers are expected to make the switch to Apple’s 5G offerings.
That won’t be surprising, as out of Apple’s huge installed base of nearly 1.1 billion iPhones, less than 1% have a 5G-enabled device, at least according to a third-party research estimate. The iPhone 12 crossed 100 million units in less than seven months of its launch, and the iPhone 13 can carry forward that momentum since it is likely to appeal to those customers who have held off upgrading to a 5G device so far.
Apple has increased the storage of the base iPhone 13 models to 128 GB (gigabytes), which now start at $699 for the mini version and $799 for the 6.1-inch version, removing the 64 GB option altogether. While that’s $100 higher than the price of the base models of the iPhone 12, the new prices are almost in line with the industry standard. The average selling price of a 5G smartphone stands at $634 as per IDC’s estimate.
Throw in upgrades such as more 5G wireless bands for better connectivity and Apple’s claims that the iPhone 13 models can last 1.5 to 2.5 hours more than the iPhone 12, and it becomes easy to see why those who haven’t jumped on to the 5G bandwagon would take the plunge this time. Additionally, Apple points out that the increased number of 5G bands on the iPhone 13 will help it double its 5G support to more than 200 carriers spread across 60 countries.
MacDailyNews Take: In another confirmation that the multi-year Mother of All iPhone Supercycles™ continues to ramp up, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Monday said that iPhone 13 pre-orders have been stronger than for even the strong-selling iPhone 12, with iPhone 13 Pro shortages expected to stretch well into November.
With the right conditions, and no major surprises, Apple could sell upwards of 250 million iPhones in 2022!
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]