Sales in China will be the acid test for Apple’s year ahead: the success of the iPhone 6 in China drove sales last year, while the slower-burn 6S contributed to Apple’s first global revenue drop in over a decade earlier this year.
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The price cuts come as the India launch of the company’s latest iPhones – iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus – nears.
“It’s still early, but the results out of United States, particularly T-Mobile and Sprint, look encouraging and perhaps suggest that they can, in fact, grow year over year in ’17, which would be big for the stock”, Power said. Some customers complained after the larger version and models with the new jet-black colour sold out.
“Apple risks losing out more if it does not better cater to local demands in its marketing as well as product design”.
“During the online pre-order period, initial quantities of iPhone 7 Plus in all finishes and iPhone 7 in jet black sold out and will not be available for walk-in customers”.
Breaking with tradition, the company will not release first-weekend sales of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, saying the figure is more a reflection of supply than demand. The dual cameras might have been a factor in more users going for the iPhone 7.
“There does seem to be an element of under-promising and over-delivering, at least with respect to initial expectations”, he said. Apple will launch in its key Asian market China later on Friday.
Customers who enter Apple Stores Friday, when the gadgets hit shelves, will not be able to purchase the sold-out phones on site, but they can continue to place orders for their desired models online, Apple said.
As such, people looking to buy the phone now are likely to have to wait for days or weeks for it actually to arrive.
Candy Leung, 26, who bought a 7 Plus model, seemed unimpressed by the new wireless earphones: “My first impression is that they could be lost really easily”.
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But underneath the usual fanfare, the crowds of enthusiasts and overnight campers were smaller than in past years.
