Seems the world wasn’t as ready for an oversized Apple device as the Cupertino-based company anticipated, with the regular iPhone 6 outselling its littermate, the iPhone 6 Plus, at a ratio of almost three-to-one. But is it just an unwillingness to go phablet-sized that’s to blame?
According to data collated by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the iPhone 6 Plus accounted for just 23% of Apple device sales in its first fortnight of sale in the US, with iPhone 6 sales topping out at 68%. The final 9% of sales were made up of iPhone 5C and 5s sales, both of which were reduced in price when the new devices launched.
According to CIRP analyst Steven Milunovich, the figures only show part of the story and might not be quite the disaster for the larger device as it seems. Milunovich was keen to point out that stock shortages may have played a part, with limited amounts of the iPhone 6 Plus being ready to ship, and wait times still sitting at 3-4 weeks in some cases. This suggests that figures might have been healthier if there were simply more devices on offer.
Another factor could simply be bang for your buck – aside from the larger screen and OIS for the camera, the iPhone 6 Plus doesn’t offer much more in terms of specs than its smaller sibling, but retails at an eye-watering and wallet-emptying £619, versus £539 for the iPhone 6. Chances are that asking price is just a step to far, especially given that the standard iPhone 6 isn’t exactly cheap.
As for performance, early reports had the iPhone 6 Plus out-gunning the iPhone 6, but we’ve since seen that the smaller handset has the upper hand when it comes to gaming.
One final factor which has certainly done nothing to further the iPhone 6 Plus’ reputation was the whole sorry #Bendgate saga, which saw users take to social media in droves to decry the fact that their device was bending and, in some cases, even breaking due to the strain of being stashed in a pair of tight trousers.
Do you have an iPhone 6 Plus or did you opt for the smaller device at a lower cost? Let us know.
Leave a Reply