Monday, February 5, 2018

Report: iPhoneX High Price Driving Apple's Revenue Growth

Apple CEO Tim Cook did something really unusual on last Thursday night's earnings call, and it sends a signal about the iPhone X's effect on the company's business: He refused to answer a question about "Android switchers."

For years, Cook has given analysts some perspective on the number of people switching from Android phones to iPhones. On one call in 2015, he mentioned "Android switchers" five times.

But not Thursday night, according to BusinessInsider.

About two-thirds of the way through the call, the analyst Laura Martin of Needham & Company asked Cook, "Switchers in the quarter, you often give us switchers."

Cook responded: "It is so early on this product cycle, particularly with the iPhone X only starting in November, that we do not feel we have data at this point that would be very meaningful to share. And so I'll punt that question until next time around."

It is difficult to believe that Apple suddenly doesn't have "meaningful" data on how many people are choosing iPhone over Android.

The top-line numbers, of course, were negative: The launch of the iPhone X, which costs about $1,000, sent unit sales into a 1% decline:



According to B-I, that is an embarrassing slide given the flagship device was launched only a few weeks ago. Historically, the last quarter has always been Apple's biggest — it's when the sexy new iPhone is always launched.

Not this time.

This problem is not of Apple's making, of course. The smartphone market globally is now fully saturated, and sales have gone into decline.

Apple was able to show rising revenue only because the high price of the iPhone X boosted dollar sales. The average selling price of the iPhone is $796, at least $100 more than it used to be.

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