Sales

First “Assembled in India” iPhone SE units go in sale, but don’t carry lower price tag

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 26, 2017

First iPhone SE units assembled in India have gone on sale in many cities in the country, including the city of Bangalore near which the handset is being assembled in a facility operated by Apple's contract manufacturer Wistron.

The Indian Express reported today that the iPhone SE units manufactured in India don't carry a lower price tag because they are made locally due to Apple's policy of keeping the pricing more or less the same across the globe. In fact, these phones are “priced the same as other models manufactured in China,” according to The Indian Express.

Currently, a small trial run of limited iPhone SE units has been produced. Although the handset is now selling in many Indian cities, customers interested in the handset may not be able to get their hands on one until Wistron ramps up production.

These phones have “Designed by Apple in California, Assembled in India” printed on their back.

The best VPN deals right now

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 11, 2018

There are so many VPNs to choose from, and if you’re having trouble deciding what one to choose for your own internet privacy and security, then we’re here to help.

One of the biggest deciding factors in purchasing a long-term commitment to software is the cost, so in this roundup, we’ll discuss some of the best VPN deals you can get right now.

Apple may have removed limitations on its price matching program

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 7, 2017

Apple has a lesser-known program which lets would-be buyers get some of its latest products at a discount. The Cupertino firm used to match up to ten percent off a product's original list price from authorized retailers, under certain conditions, but that ceiling is reportedly no longer in effect, as per an Apple store employee on Reddit.

iPhone 7 Plus accounted for an estimated 40% of all iPhone 7 sales in the holiday quarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2017

People are way more interested in Apple's $769 iPhone 7 Plus than they were in the $649 iPhone 6s Plus, Cowen & Co. analysts told The Wall Street Journal. In other words, many buyers don't mind paying more for features like dual cameras and other extra hardware not available in standard iPhone 7.

Cowen estimated that iPhone 7 Plus accounted for about 40 percent of an estimated 58.5 million iPhone 7 devices Apple sold globally during the December quarter. Contrast that with iPhone 6s Plus, which accounted for an estimated 23 percent of all iPhone 6s sales during the same quarter the previous year.

Foxconn reports first ever annual sales decline since going public 25 years ago

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 10, 2017

iPhone manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group posted its first ever sales decline since it went public back in 1991, Japanese outlet Nikkei reported Tuesday. The outlet expectedly blames “lukewarm demand” from Foxconn's biggest client Apple and the “saturated smartphone market” for the 2.81 percent drop in annual sales.

For context, Foxconn earns more than half of its revenue from doing business with Apple. The Taiwanese company is also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry and assembles iPhones and other gadgets like PlayStation consoles, notebooks, wearable devices and so forth on a mass scale.

2017 iPhone 7 production cut by 10 percent

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 30, 2016

Several analysts interviewed recently by The Wall Street Journal opined that iPhone 7's supposed lack of compelling features probably convinced many owners of the exploding Note 7 to opt for another high-end Galaxy handset, and not Apple's flagship phone.

Their remarks were corroborated today by supplier data collected by Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asian Review, which claims Apple is planning to cut iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus orders by ten percent starting in the first quarter of 2017 after they “sold more sluggishly than expected”.

Why Apple shouldn’t pass on the rumored Jet White iPhone 7

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

On Tuesday, Apple afficionados were treated to a new wave of white shell iPhone 7 mock-ups and purported leaks hitting the internet, advancing the notion that the Cupertino-based company could plan to release a white counterpart to their Jet Black coating some time around March 2017.

From an aesthetic standpoint, everyone is going to have their two cents on the necessity of it in the grand scheme of things. Simply by moving the discussion from the fashion sphere to the finance department though, the ambivalence in regard to whether or not this iPhone release is genuinely necessary quickly crumbles and clearly comes down on one side of the fence.

As we will learn in late January, Apple’s first quarter of the fiscal year 2017 is going to look after itself nicely, but in view of the Q2 figures and a long summer following, Jet White definitely needs to happen. Two key reasons must be paid attention to in order to understand the imperative of a Jet White iPhone for a healthier bottom line in the fiscal year of 2017.

In November, App Store captured highest monthly sales ever in its history

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 6, 2017

According to Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, the App Store last month enjoyed the highest monthly sales ever since its inception in the summer of 2008. “November 2016 was a record breaker for the App Store—the highest monthly sales ever in its history,” reads the tweet.

Although Schiller didn't provide any hard numbers, in just two weeks during last year's holiday season the App Store raked in a massive $1.1 billion revenue from sales of iOS apps and In-App Purchases.

Tim Cook: Apple Watch sales set new record during first week of holiday shopping

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Sales of the Apple Watch to consumers set a record during the first week of holiday shopping, Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Additionally, he says the current quarter is on track to be the best ever for the wearable.

The comments were in response to a Monday report from technology research firm IDC, which estimated that Apple sold just 1.1 million Watches during its Q3, down 71% from the year-ago quarter. But Cook says its growth is off the charts.

T-Mobile sees improved customer retention on strength of iPhone 7 release

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Wireless carrier T-Mobile on Monday announced earnings for the September quarter. Total revenues for the quarter were $9.2 billion, an eighteen percent year-over-year increase. T-Mobile said it was able to increase revenue thanks to new T-Mobile One plans and add-ons, the launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September and an influx of prepaid customers who migrated to postpaid plans.

Services revenue during the quarter came in at $7.1 billion, a thirteen percent year-over-year increase. The carrier has added two million new customers during the quarter.

Apple Watch popup shop in Galeries Lafayette closing January 2017 due to poor sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 21, 2016

The original Apple Watch debuted in April 2015 in a few markets, with Apple pushing the $10,000-$17,000 Apple Watch Edition aggressively via pop up shops found in high-profile department stores, including Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Selfridges in London and Isetan in Tokyo. But those pop up shops won't be open for much longer, it would seem.

As reported by French blog Mac4Ever, Apple will be closing the mini-store in Galeries Lafayette effective January 2017 due to poor sales of the device at the location.

Apple confirms October iPhone 7 launch for six African and Middle Eastern countries

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2016

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus officially went on sale in India and Ukraine this morning. As confirmed by authorized resellers and local Apple websites, the new handsets will be launching in a few African and Middle Eastern countries later this month. Plus, both the iPhone 7 family and the new Apple Watch Series 2 will be going on sale in Israel on October 20.