A few days ago, news pointed out that Apple’s Trade In exchange program has further increased the replacement subsidy for old iPhones, with the highest replacement subsidy reaching 5,500 yuan. This will undoubtedly help attract iPhone users to replace their old iPhones with new iPhones14 , But it also shows that the iPhone 14 is really not easy to sell.
According to reports, the replacement plan given by Apple includes the fairly old iPhone 12 mini and iPhone SE2. The iPhone 13 Pro max with the highest replacement discount can be worth up to 5,500 yuan, and the replacement price has further increased by 250 yuan compared with before the adjustment.
The reason given by Apple is environmental protection, hoping to reduce garbage. However, the actual reason may be due to the poor sales of iPhone 14. The sales volume of iPhone 14 in Q4 in 2022 is only more than 70 million units, which is far from the expected 90 million units; The sales of iPhone 14 have not improved since the beginning of this year.
In order to promote the sales of iPhone 14, the low-end iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 plus began to be sold at a price reduction of more than a month after they were launched, setting a record for the fastest price reduction of the iPhone; 2,000 yuan, which is 70% higher than last year's iPhone 13 price reduction of 1,200 yuan, which shows that Apple has really tried its best to promote iPhone 14.
Of course, compared to Android phones, the sales of the iPhone are actually quite good. After all, the sales of many Android phones have fallen by more than 20%. Dissatisfaction even led Apple's board of directors to ask Cook to step down.
The iPhone 14’s poor sales are mainly due to lack of innovation. Although the iPhone 14 in 2022 uses the newly launched A17 processor and the newly designed smart island design on the high-end iPhone 14Pro, the low-end series with higher sales has reproduced the iPhone 13. The device and appearance are exactly the same as the iPhone 13, resulting in very few sales of the low-end iPhone 14 and iPhone 14plus.
The second is the price increase of iPhone 14 in disguise. The previous starting price of iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 was 5,499 yuan, and the price of iPhone 13 was reduced to 5,199 yuan. A new record high, the starting price of the iPhone 14 has risen to 5,999 yuan, causing consumers to vote with their feet.
In fact, one of the reasons for the decline in iPhone sales in the early years was the price increase. After the starting price exceeded 6,000 yuan, the sales volume of the iPhone also fell below 200 million units, forcing Apple to cut prices sharply since the iPhone 11. Today's iPhone 14 has The price was raised to nearly 6,000 yuan in one fell swoop, which once again caused consumers to abandon the iPhone.
This time, Apple has given a large-scale preferential subsidy for replacement. In addition to promoting the sales of iPhone 14, it also considers putting pressure on Chinese mobile phones. Apple has occupied nearly 80% of the market share in China's high-end mobile phone market, but Chinese mobile phones are still trying to compete with Apple in the high-end mobile phone market. After Apple offers discounts, it can keep existing users and put pressure on Chinese mobile phones. After all, the iPhone 14 Pro after the price cut It has put a lot of pressure on Chinese mobile phones, and promotional offers help attract users who use Chinese mobile phones.
Apple is undoubtedly the leader in the mobile phone industry. Although it has been recognized by many users, the market size is so large. The continuous price increase and lack of innovation have weakened Apple's attractiveness. It seems that price has become its last weapon. It is said that this year's iPhone 15 is expected to adopt the Smart Island design and reduce the price.