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Tag: iphone 8

  • IPhone 8 Sees Bleak Response In Australia As Buyers Await iPhone X

    IPhone 8 Sees Bleak Response In Australia As Buyers Await iPhone X

    Users are probably waiting for the launch of the iPhone X, which is why the long lines outside the Apple Stores that have been a common sight post-iPhone launches are nowhere to be seen. A source told Reuters that it was a “bleak turnout” on Friday with fewer than 30 people in the queue before the Sydney Apple Store on George Street opened.

    Mazen Kourouche, who reviews products on YouTube and was first in the queue, noted that there are some modest changes in the device.

    “(It) is pretty similar to the iPhone 7 but it shoots 4k 60 frames per second and it’s got a new glass back instead of the metal which is apparently more durable,” Kourouche told.

    On the feature front, however, the iPhone 8 does not have much to offer, he added.

    Apple shares nosedived following poor iPhone 8 and 8 Plus reviews. Investors who were not happy with the way the device panned out pushed the shares down to a nearly two-month low. What is worrying investors that pre-orders are lower than they have been in previous launches.

    Usually, the number of pre-orders is a good indicator of how well the newest iPhones will sell. However, hours after both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were available, there were not many takers, and there was still stock left with September 22 delivery dates available either online or for in-store pickup, notes MacRumors. Mentions of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus and iPhone X were fewer on the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo than mentions of the iPhone models in the previous two launches.

    According to Neil Cybart, an analyst who covers Apple for Above Avalon, “I think demand is down from last year, for no other reason than you have another flagship phone.”

    This could result in weekend sales being lower than at any other point since the launch of the iPhone 6 in 2014, the analyst says. Further, the steep price increase for the iPhone 8 over the price of its predecessors could also dent sales going forward.

    BTIG Research analyst Walt Piecyk also believes that other than anticipation for the iPhone X, lack of carrier promotions could be another reason for the lukewarm response to today’s iPhone launch. Piecyk stated that wireless carriers are not interested in promoting the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and this might not change even when the iPhone X launches, says the Financial Times.

    Apple’s iPhone X will be available for pre-order starting October 27 with a price tag of $999. The iPhone X comes with an edge-to-edge screen, an improved camera and a new facial recognition system. Rumors suggest that the iPhone X supply will not be enough to meet demand until next year. Apple CEO Tim Cook described the iPhone X  as “the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone.”

    On Thursday, Apple shares closed down 1.72% at $153.99. Year to date, the stock is up more than 32%, while in the last year, it is up more than 33%.

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  • No long queues in Hong Kong on iPhone 8 launch day

    No long queues in Hong Kong on iPhone 8 launch day

    The launch of iPhone 8 on Friday did not receive such enthusiastic response from Hong Kong consumers as previously, with no long queues in front of Apple outlets.

    As the iPhone 8 and 8 plus went on sale across the globe on Friday, Apple stores in Hong Kong opened early in the morning and set up crowd control barriers at the entrance for customers to collect their pre-ordered products, but saw shorter-than-expected queues.

    A consumer who successfully bought an iPhone 8 on Friday morning told Xinhua that customers did not even need to pre-order online before getting the new phones at the store. “This is very different from previous years and shows how low the demand is.”

    Due to low demand, the number of resellers or scalpers outside the Apple stores was also obviously smaller than in previous launch days.

    Outside the Apple outlet in the Causeway Bay, a scalper told Xinhua that the prices the scalpers offered to purchase the new phones were the same as or even lower than official retail prices.

    The market has “low expectations” for the iPhone 8, he said, adding that many of his customers prefer waiting for the upcoming iPhone X.

    In Sin Tat Plaza in Kowloon, which usually was crammed with traders reselling new iPhones on the launch day, only a small number of customers were there on Friday, with the resale prices of all iPhone 8 and 8 Plus models barely meeting official retail prices.

    A local newspaper quoted owners of two different shops in the plaza as saying that they believe the iPhone 8 is not warmly welcomed by customers because it is not substantially different from the iPhone 7, but they expect the sales of the iPhone X will be better.

  • Apple has ordered 70 million OLED panels from rival Samsung for upcoming iPhone 8

    Apple has ordered 70 million OLED panels from rival Samsung for upcoming iPhone 8

    Shares of Samsung Electronics got a boost on Tuesday after the report that archrival Apple had ordered 70 million display panels that the South Korean giant specializes in for the upcoming iPhone. Samsung’s stock closed at 2.1 million Korean won, posting a rise of 1.54 percent.

    Citing a supply chain source, Nikkei reported that Apple has placed orders for bendable organic light-emitting diode panels for use in 70 million handsets for the year. OLED offers brighter displays and better power efficiency over liquid crystal displays currently in use.

    Samsung’s OLED displays are used on its own flagship Galaxy devices, and the company is a market leader in the area. Apple is expected to launch three new iPhones later this year, with the anniversary edition iPhone 8 believed to have a slightly curved 5.2-inch OLED screen. This will be the most expensive model. The two other iPhones will have LCD displays. It would be the first time Apple has used OLED displays on its flagship device.

    Quoted IHS Markit analyst David Hsieh as saying that the order for 70 million units of OLED panels is in line with his expectations. He added that Samsung is expecting to produce as many as 95 million units for Apple in 2017, in case demand exceeds expectations. Hsieh also said Samsung is likely to be the sole supplier.

    “It is also possible that some of these 70 million handsets will not be shipped to customers this year and be carried over to next year depending on demand,” Hsieh told.

    The 70 million unit figure gives a sense of the kind of bullish demand Apple is expecting for the anniversary model, which some analysts are suggesting could cost $900 to $1,000.

    But some analysts have said it’s not likely Apple will sell all 70 million OLED iPhones this year looking at previous performance. In the fiscal first quarter, which ended Dec. 31, Apple sold 78.2 million iPhones — latest iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models and older versions.

    Neil Shah, research director of devices and ecosystems at Counterpoint Research, said he expects Apple to be able to sell around 70 million iPhones in total in the final quarter of this year when it releases the new device. But again, not all 70 million will be the OLED devices.

    “Seventy-million units of the OLED iPhone is too high for me at this point,” Shah told.

    The likelihood is Apple will sell some of the OLED phones next year, and at least have some ready in case it sees a pop in demand.

    Leaks and reports suggest that the iPhone 8 could be the most advanced yet with new features such as a front-facing camera with 3-D sensor. Analysts are expecting this to kick of a “supercycle” of iPhone sales.

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