iPhone 8 sales sluggish, consumers waiting for iPhone X?

Apple’s iPhone 8 went on sale last month and you’d expect sales to be fantastic. But reports find that the 2017 models just aren’t selling as well as the iPhone 7.

A report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) found iPhone 8 and 8 Plus sales to account for 16% of US sales for the quarter ending 1 October. How does that stack up to previous sales?

“On the other hand, in the same time frame last year, iPhone 7 and 7 Plus together accounted for 43% of sales. Two years ago, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus represented 24% of sales. And, three years ago, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were 46% of sales in their launch quarter,” CIRP’s Josh Lowitz noted.

“So, in terms of consumer demand and reception, the 8 and 8 Plus have a share of total sales that makes them look much more like an ‘S’ model, while the 7 and 7 Plus was closer to the very well-received 6 and 6 Plus.”

American consumers might be waiting for the iPhone X or grabbing the iPhone 7 before committing to the iPhone 8

A second CIRP analyst pointed to the announcement of the iPhone X as a possible reason for “depressed” iPhone 8 demand.

The news follows a Reuters report, which found that many consumers were opting for the iPhone 7 over the iPhone 8. The report, citing several carrier store surveys, also found consumers were waiting for the iPhone X.

The tenth anniversary iPhone will ship with an OLED screen for the first time (adopting an Essential Phone-style design), Face ID in lieu of a fingerprint scanner and optical image stabilisation on the telephoto camera.