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Sketchy Japanese stats suggest majority of early iPhone SE adopters buying on price

Analysis of retailer data in Japan indicates that early buyers of the iPhone SE are favoring the 16GB model over the 64GB one, possibly suggesting that the majority are buying on price. Life science researcher Naofumi Kagami says that this is particularly interesting as you’d expect early sales to be skewed towards early adopters, who tend to opt for the higher tiers.

The retailer sales rankings consistently show the 16GB iPhone SE two places higher than the 64GB model.

The data is somewhat sketchy and narrow in scope as it only measures sales from three carriers in a single country. In particular, it excludes sales direct from Apple, which is where the majority of Apple fans may be likely to buy.

All the same, it will be good news for Apple if true. The company had to walk a careful path with the iPhone SE: appealing to fans of 4-inch phones and those considering an iPhone for the first time, without cannibalizing too many iPhone 6s buyers. In short, if Apple is selling mostly to the budget conscious rather than the likes of Zac and I, then the strategy is working.

Via Gizmodo, photo Technobuffalo

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Comments

  1. 1. Apple doesn’t care about cannibalizing its own products.
    2. Margin means profit and profit is profit
    3. See #1

  2. pika2000 (@pika2000) - 9 years ago

    Err, from all the list, the iPhone 6S 64GB is still at the top. In two of them, iPhone 6S are the top two. So where is the cannibalization? People that want 6S will buy 6S, and people that want SE will buy SE.

    Usually companies with thin margins are the ones that are afraid of cannibalization of their own products. Apple is not one of these companies.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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