During the last few weeks we have all been able to read news about the sales failure of the iPhone 5c. Despite the fact that we do not yet know real sales figures, and that everything is based on mere assumptions depending on whether a large store lowers its price, or whether some other analyst has assured that its price is too high and that will prevent Whether it is a bestseller, all specialized blogs and even general media publish the same news: iPhone 5c is an Apple failure. Is this really so? We are going to analyze the data we have today.
A price that takes it away from being a «low-cost» terminal
For months we have all talked about the supposed "low-cost" or cheap iPhone that Apple was going to launch. A terminal with cheaper materials and lower features that would be offered at an affordable price, but when Apple presented its iPhone 5c, it was compliant except for the price. $ 549 dollars for the cheapest model is not a "low-cost" price, but those who made a mistake were all those who published that qualifier from the rooftops, not Apple. Although the disappointment for many was great, you can't blame apple for it.
Should Apple have released the terminal at a lower price? If the answer depended on the buyers, obviously we would all say yes, but Apple is a company that seeks to make money, and has wanted to maintain its profit margins. If we pay attention to the reports about the manufacturing price of the terminal, the iPhone 5c would cost only $ 173,45 (16Gb), with a sale price of $ 549 it would be a profit margin of 68%. The same people responsible for this analysis ensure that the iPhone 5s has a manufacturing price of $ 199, and a sale price of $ 649, which leaves a margin of 69%. Enough difference to say that the price of the 5c is over the top and that of the iPhone 5s adequate?
It would not make much sense for Apple to launch a terminal at a low price, lowering its profit margins, and competing with its high-end terminal, at the risk of reducing its profits significantly. If the iPhone 5c "steals" some sales from the 5s, the numbers will come out perfectly for Apple, since the profit margin of both terminals is practically identical.
A failure because it does not run out
The iPhone 5s sold out at launch, however iPhone 5c did not completely sell out (only some colors). This was taken by many as an unequivocal sign that sales of the 5c were not what Apple expected. The first sales figures that Apple offered after the first weekend showed us new record numbers, but they spoke of global iPhone sales, not by models. This was not enough to eliminate those rumors of "failure" of the iPhone 5c.
Later we learned the sales figures by operators in the 4 main companies in the United States. In two of these four operators, the iPhone 5s ranked first and the 5c the second. However, in two other companies, the 5c ranked third, only behind the iPhone 5s (first) and the Samsung Galaxy S4 (second). If we look at the data for the month of August, the iPhone 5 ranked first in only one of them, remaining in second place in the remaining three. The Galaxy S4 was the big winner, with the first position in those three operators. HTC, Nokia, Motorola and Sony appeared in different positions on the table in August, and the iPhone 4S was missing in action.
In a month, the iPhone 5S sweeps its rivals and ranks first in all carriers, and the iPhone 5c the second position in 2 of them, and the third in the other two. However, this is also seen as a failure, since the Galaxy S4, the star terminal of its maximum competitor, had been above the 5c, a terminal with specifications from a year ago. And that in other two operators it did surpass the Galaxy S4. Is the Galaxy S4 a direct rival to the 5c? in my humble opinion, no. The 5c is made to compete with terminals from HTC, Motorola, LG, Nokia, Sony and other Samsungs, but not the Galaxy S4.
Then there are the rumors about the decrease in orders from Apple to its manufacturers of the iPhone 5c, a fact that we are tired of seeing how it does not reflect the sales of a product at all, despite which, year after another it always appears the same rumor. Himself iPhone 5, Apple's best-selling smartphone in history, also generated the same buzz, and the sales data is simply impressive.
Apple gets the bills
Next day 22 we will know the new iPads, and I bet that Apple is not going to miss the opportunity to get chest with the sales of its iPhones. Although surely it will not specify the sales by models (maybe it surprises us and it does), from the data they give us, surely the analysts will draw their conclusions again using different percentages and offering estimated sales figures. Will these figures serve to ward off rumors of failure? Although they were positive for Apple and its iPhone 5c, I personally doubt it. Apple has always been on the cutting edge of the media razor, and is more than used to moving around that place. But one thing is clear: Apple has the accounts with its iPhone 5c.
More information - The iPhone 5s doubles the iPhone 5c in sales