Fewer People are Buying the New Base Model iPhone This Year [CIRP]

Fewer people are choosing to buy the base model iPhone 15 this year, as compared to the base model iPhone 14 last year, according to a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

Today, the firm shared its research results for the second full quarter of iPhone 15 availability. Notably, the four iPhone 15 models accounted for over two-thirds of total iPhone sales in the United States; however, they lagged the iPhone 14 models' share of sales last year.




The iPhone 15 lineup accounted for 68% of total iPhone sales last quarter, compared to the 75% for the iPhone 14 lineup in 2023. The iPhone 15 Pro Max had the largest share of sales at 23%, while the iPhone 15 Pro had 22%. This is very similar to the iPhone 14 Pro models last year which had 46% of sales, also split evenly between models.

The iPhone 15 Plus captured 9% of sales, slightly less than the iPhone 14 Plus at 10% last year. Interestingly, things start to differ when looking at the base model iPhone 15. It captured only 14% of sales, down from the 19% of sales seen by the iPhone 14 in the March 2023 quarter.

According to CIRP, the iPhone 15 base model gave up some of its sales to older generation models.

With the significant advancements in iPhone cameras, battery life, and durability over the past decade, the improvements in recent years have been more marginal. This makes the latest base iPhone 15 even less distinctive. We also suspect some economic pressure to reduce spending, when possible, and a generational trend toward sustainability and away from always wanting the newest thing. Together these factors put pressure on the newest base model and pumped-up demand for the one- and two-year old alternatives.


More details in the full report linked below...

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