iPhone XR Bestselling iPhone Model in November, New iPhone Sales Dipped 20 Percent: Counterpoint

Apple's iPhone XR has emerged as the bestselling iPhone model globally, while the overall sales of new iPhone models, including the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and the iPhone XR, dipped 20 percent year-over-year last November, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. The analyst firm also claimed that the sales of new iPhone models took a hit in the November month due to their slower sales particularly in the Asia Pacific region (excluding China and India), Europe, and the US. It is estimated that the iPhone XR sales would have further cut the market share of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max during December 2018. The latest report comes hot on the heels of Apple's revenue shortfall that was majorly due to weaker-than-expected sales of iPhone models.

Without revealing any concrete numbers, the report published by Counterpoint Research shows that the iPhone X sales in November 2017 were almost 50 percent higher in volume compared to the iPhone XR units sold last November. The analyst firm also highlights that the iPhone XR sales were also 5 percent down over the sales of the iPhone 8 during the same month. Nevertheless, it is claimed that the iPhone XR 64GB variant became the bestselling iPhone in 2018 - outselling the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

The iPhone XS sales are found to be increased 3 percent year-over-year in November, compared to the iPhone 8, whereas the sales of the iPhone XS Max reportedly declined 46 percent compared to the iPhone X sales during the same month in 2017. However, the cumulative sales of iPhone XS Max were reported to be 50 percent higher until November than that of the iPhone X in 2017 due to an early availability of the higher priced models last year.

Counterpoint Research Analyst Shobhit Srivastava in the report stated that "due to lack of innovative features and just one camera" the iPhone XR wasn't able to help Apple attract a large number of customers from China. It is also predicted that the China iPhone sales in December would continue to drop partly due to the ongoing trade war between the US and China.

Having said that, Counterpoint Research expects an increase in sales of older iPhone models, such as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8, in emerging markets due to the high price of newer models.

Overall, the report mentions that the sales of new iPhone models ran out of the road mainly due to their slower performance in the Asia Pacific region (excluding China and India), Europe, and the US. It is believed that the decline particularly in the US and Europe is due to the "lengthening replacement cycle" and "decreased operator discounts" during the launch of new iPhone models. The decline in emerging markets such as the Asia Pacific is due to the higher price when compared to offerings from Chinese vendors.

iPhone XR Review

The new report comes just days after Apple cut its revenue outlook for the latest quarter and suggested weaker-than-expected sales of its iPhone models. The Cupertino company dropped the revenue guidance to $84 billion (roughly Rs. 590,000 crores) - significantly lower than analyst forecasts averaging $91 billion (roughly Rs. 640,000 crores).

Last month, research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) reported that the iPhone XR accounted for 32 percent of iPhone sales within the first 30 days, while the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max together captured 35 percent of the total US iPhone sales. The firm mentioned in its report that the 32 percent share of the sales for the iPhone XR compares favourably to the 30 percent share for the iPhone X in the similar timeframe in 2017, though it lags when comparing with the combined share of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus during that same period last year.

CIRP also highlighted in its report that 16 percent of iPhone buyers upgraded from an Android phone in the 30-day period after the iPhone XR launch in the US back in October last year. The CIRP findings was notably based on a survey of 165 US Apple customers that purchased an iPhone in the US following the launch of the iPhone XR.