iPhone XS, XS Max First Week Sales Better Than iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus: Report

New data estimates reveal that the recently released iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max is doing better than last year's iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 8. Analysis firm Flurry analytics looked into device activations of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max from September 21 to September 27 to estimate the first week sales of the new iPhone modes. Based on this data, the company claims that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max's first week sales were much better than iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X combined first week sales last year.

Flurry Analytics in its report said that Apple generated 7 percent more revenue during the first week sales of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, compared to the combined sales of the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus during their first week. This indicates that the new Apple devices are a significant success even though the pricing graph continues to move upwards for revenue growth purposes. The overall sale numbers are expected to increase even more when iPhone XR goes on sale this month.

To recall, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus went on sale on September 22, 2017 in the first wave of launch markets, while the iPhone X went on sale on November 3, 2017. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max on the other hand went on sale on September 21 in the first wave of launch markets.

"From this comparison, taking unit sales of the different devices and multiplying them by the different prices from each time period, we estimate that Apple generated 7 percent more revenue during week one of the XS, XS Max and same-week incremental sales for the iPhone X (now offered at a discounted rate), compared to the combined sales of the 8, 8 Plus and original iPhone X during their respective first week," Flurry Analytics noted in its report.

During their first full week, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max gained a market share of 0.42 percent and 0.68 percent respectively, which makes it 1.1 percent combined. To compare, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus devices combined claimed 0.76 percent percent share of the Apple device base in the first week of sales last year. By comparison, the XS and XS Max captured 45 percent more share, which is a strong improvement.

The takeaway here is that Apple is able to drive solid market share even after increasing the prices of its new iPhone models. Flurry Analytics notes that the trend is expected to continue all throughout the holiday season. Lastly, the company says that the iPhone 7 is on the top position when it comes to market penetration. "In terms of market penetration, the iPhone 7 (15.40 percent) is the #1 iPhone model currently. The iPhone 7 Plus (12.73 percent) is #2, followed by the iPhone 6S (12.40 percent)," the report states.

TF Industries analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects total shipments of all the three variants is expected to grow slightly year on year to 75-80 million units for 2018 holiday quarter. Out of this, iPhone XR is expected to make up for about 55 to 60 percent of the new model shipments this year, while iPhone XS Max will make up for about 30 percent of the new model shipment.

To recall, the iPhone XS price in India has been set at Rs. 99,900 for the 64GB variant, while its 256GB option comes at Rs. 1,14,900 and the 512GB model is available at Rs. 1,34,900. The iPhone XS Max, on the other hand, comes with a price tag of Rs. 1,09,900 for the 64GB storage variant, while its 256GB variant is available at Rs. 1,24,900 and 512GB variant at Rs. 1,44,900. The iPhone XR price in India starts at Rs. 76,900 for the 64GB storage variant, and will be available to buy from October 26.