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Most consumers have already written off the iPhone 14 Plus apparently

By Anam Hamid

Published: Sep 12, 2022, 9:27 AM

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iOS Apple

Most consumers have already written off the iPhone 14 Plus apparently

Only a small vocal community actually wanted the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini, which is why Apple decided to replace the 5.4-inch small model with the non-Pro 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus but early reports suggest most consumers don't want a big standard model either. What's Apple to do?

When iPhone 14 pre-orders opened on Friday, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that according to his survey, 85 percent of the iPhone 14 buyers in China went for the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the Plus was the least popular model, accounting for only 5 percent of the pre-orders.

Kuo is back with more insights today and apparently, the report is about global pre-order numbers.

Most people don't want iPhone 13 mini's spiritual successor and the standard iPhone 14

Pre-orders for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which start at $999 and $1,099, respectively, are said to be "good" and "neutral" when compared to the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, and demand for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, that cost $799 and $899, respectively, has been deemed "poor".

In short, only the iPhone 14 Pro Max seems to be doing better than the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and the iPhone 14 Pro seems to be doing only somewhat better than the iPhone 13 Pro, which is still good progress since the 2021 Pros did pretty well.

The worrying sign for Apple here is that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, which account for about 45 percent of overall shipments, have failed to create the kind of buzz the company presumably believes is warranted, and as a result, the Cupertino giant may increase the shipment forecast for the Pros and cut back production of the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus.

Kuo notes that the estimated delivery time for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is more than four weeks, which is indicative of strong demand, whereas the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will be readily available on release dates, which signals lackluster demand. The lead times for the Pros are longer compared to the 13 Pro and Pro Max, whereas the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus have shorter lead times than their 2021 counterparts.

Apple cut iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 13 mini production earlier this year because of low demand and today's report says that the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are faring worse than those models.

Kuo has outright said that 'Apple's product segmentation strategy for standard models this year has failed.'

The silver lining is that Apple's loyal consumers are prepared to splurge on the pricier Pro models and make them the most popular phones of 2022 even as the smartphone industry as a whole continues to struggle because of the weakening global economy.

Still, it is interesting that Apple tried to listen to consumers by introducing a bigger non-Pro model but no one seems to want it. It could be that people don't want to spend $899 on a phone that comes saddled with a year-old processor and even the allure of a bigger battery cannot overshadow the fact that the phone is a very minor improvement over 2021's standard models.

Pre-orders are still running and some deals can get you the phones for as low as $0.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.