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Only a Quarter of US iPhones Are Sold Through Apple (theverge.com) 31

Posted by BeauHD from the carriers-rule-everything dept.
A new report from CIRP says that only about 24 percent of recent iPhones purchased in the US were sold directly by Apple. Instead, the most popular way to buy a new iPhone was through a wireless carrier, which accounted for 67 percent of sales. The Verge reports: CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners) surveys iPhone buyers to find out which models they're buying and where they're shopping -- information Apple doesn't disclose. Outside of carriers and Apple retail, CIRP attributes 4 percent of iPhone sales to Best Buy and 5 percent to "other," which includes Target and Walmart. Those are just tiny slivers of the pie compared to the gigantic piece wireless carriers are eating.
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Only a Quarter of US iPhones Are Sold Through Apple More

Only a Quarter of US iPhones Are Sold Through Apple

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  • OK (Score:3)

    by LeeLynx ( 6219816 ) on Monday December 12, 2022 @09:36PM (#63126094)
    Shouldn't this have been titled something more along the lines of "A Surprising 25% of iPhones Not Sold Through Carriers"?
    • Excuse me, 24%.
      • I have been on the iPhone Upgrade Program for years, and effectively pay about $50 a month for the latest greatest iPhone. I work a lot in the field and manage a lot of devices, so for me the new battery and fast CPU are worth the constant upgrades. I wonder if that program counts.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fermion ( 181285 )
      If you have an Apple Card you can get the same no interest deal you get through the carriers without lock in If not the carriers tend to have superior deals, if not a free phone, then monthly payments.

      As mentioned, they also have liberal upgrade programs for those who must have a new phone every year but canâ(TM)t afford to pay in full.

      • f you have an Apple Card you can get the same no interest deal you get through the carriers without lock in If not the carriers tend to have superior deals, if not a free phone, then monthly payments.

        I was just about to say the same thing...about the Apple Card.

        You get 24 months interest free....and, 3% cash back, so that's a bonus too.

        Not sure what beats that deal at Best Buy or the carriers' stores...?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dbialac ( 320955 )
      Looks like Captain Obvious had his hand at cracking this one.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      Shouldn't this have been titled something more along the lines of "A Surprising 25% of iPhones Not Sold Through Carriers"?

      When you're not buying Iphones, this isn't that uncommon. I paid £190 for my handset (Nokia X10) and £6 per month for service with no contract.

  • Okay, why the h*ll should I care?! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by GFS666 ( 6452674 ) on Monday December 12, 2022 @10:05PM (#63126154)
    There are literally dozens of stories out there that would be more interesting or better suited to a technological audience than this story, including one that I've submitted twice to this website (specifically, a unique tracking technique may have found MH370). Has the bar been set so low that we get fricken stories about what percentages of iPhones are sold by Apple?! Now get off of my lawn ;)
    • Too bad I would have liked to see that story here and the following comments
      • We'll know if they find MH370.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by GFS666 ( 6452674 )

        Too bad I would have liked to see that story here and the following comments

        Here is a link to the authors website: https://www.mh370search.com/ [mh370search.com] and here is a link to the technical paper where they discuss how they tracked MH370 using radio "trip" lines and reduced the search area for the aircraft from a 120,000 km2 area to an easily searchable 300 km2 area: https://www.mh370search.com/20... [mh370search.com]

        This was the submission (without links embedded): "WSPR (pronounced "whisper") is a computer based protocol used for weak signal radio communications between dedicated amateur radio ground stati

    • Re:Okay, why the h*ll should I care?! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Budenny ( 888916 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2022 @05:53AM (#63126720)

      If you are interested in Apple's prospects and position, you should care.

      Reason being it shows how little control Apple has over its distribution, in the phone business - which is just about the whole company now. Its sales are almost entirely dependent on a few large players.

      Now, as long as the public demands the phones, and as long as the large players are well looked after, it should all go on just fine. But its a single point of failure, or close, and something to watch. They can start to turn away if they ever feel the arrangement is not in their interests. And if they do, its not clear what if anything Apple can do about it.

      • I dunno about that.

        I think people go to the larger players simply because they are larger players.

        If, for example, Verizon stopped selling iPhones, I think it is unlikely those people would not buy an iPhone. I think they would just buy one from someone else.

        I suspect people care a lot more their phone than their carrier. I mean, who has loyalty for a fucking carrier? If they have to use that carrier for coverage reasons, they can just get their iPhone from Walmart or Apple itself.

        Yeah, Apple have to creat

        • I think they care less about their phone than you think. While they aren't loyal to their carrier, most consumers will go with the option that offers the least amount of friction.

          If the choices were suddenly that you could only buy iPhones from Apple, their sales would tank (not to mention, most carriers give iPhones away for free. At least they do here in Canada). Buying from Apple means you have to go to their store, and then take the phone to another location (their carrier) to get it set up, a good amou

          • Uh, no.

            1. Carriers don't give phones away for free. You overpay for their service, relative to using an MVNO.

            2). If you buy a phone from Apple, you don't have to take it anywhere to activate.

            My current phone was bought from Apple online, delivered to my door. Payments at 0% for 24 months. Then I activated it with US Mobile via eSIM.

            I don't know how much more "friction free" you can get.

    • The first batch are very valuable. Carriers and major distributors try to get high allocations from Apple for new launches. Carriers put up co sponsor advertising which helps stretch PR spend. U can line up with the dorks to n front of the few Apple stores or more easily get from a carrier. Carriers also tend to offer slightly better trade in value.

  • What percentage of Android cell phones are sold through Google, huh?

  • The new iPhone Pro Ultra will be available exclusively through Apple.

  • People like scams (Score:3)

    by registrations_suck ( 1075251 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2022 @12:18AM (#63126372)

    So, it seems that most iPhone buyers like significantly overpaying for cell phone service so they can get a "free" phone.

    To moved from Verizon @ $130/month to US Mobile for $70/month. Over 12 months, that's $600. Kinda cuts into the value of that "free" phone you're getting.

    I bought my phone direct from Apple. Saved 3% using my Apple Card, and no interest for 24 months and I can have no obligation to any network. That's the way to go.

  • If you're rich enough to buy an iPhone (or any phone really) then you're rich enough to buy it SIM-free and then choose a plan that fits your lifestyle. Chances are it will work out cheaper and suit your usage far better than if you buy a phone locked into some garbage network & contract for 24 or even 36 months.
    • There is no lock-in anymore. Phones unlock after 30 to 90 days (depending on carrier). All you lose if you choose to leave the network which gave you $800 for your iPhone 11 is a pro-rated amount of trade-in. BUT, why not just trade-in with a network you are already on and will likely be for the next 24 months?

      PS> If you are "rich", you probably didn't didn't get there by throwing your money away, meaning you know how to spend wisely and save where you can - money saved is money earned after tax, and t

  • Why is that really a surprise? (Score:3)

    by misnohmer ( 1636461 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2022 @04:33AM (#63126608)
    Upgrading from say an iPhone 12 to iPhone 14, your trade-in value at a carrier is twice what Apple gives. Yes, you have Apple trade it in to your carrier, but they require the phone right there, on the spot, vs. the carrier lets give you a few weeks to transfer your data and ship the trade-in. Around Christmas Apple is even worse of a deal, as they require a trade-in on the spot, while carriers give you extra time into January to ship back the tradein. So if you want to buy an iPhone as a gift for under the tree, you can upgrade two phones for the same price at the carrier as a single phone at the Apple store. Why would anyone pay 2x the price to upgrade if they don't have to? Say a husband wants to buy his wife an upgrade, buy though Apple, or buy though the carrier and get a free upgrade for himself too - same price. Yes, the trade-in is split over 24 or 36 months, but most people don't upgrade every year, and even if you upgrade after 24 of 36 months, you are still ahead.

    • To get those deals, you have to use their over priced cell service, that's why.

      You're not getting anything for "free". You're just paying for it under the guise of cell service instead of as hardware.

      $ Major Carrier Service + Free or Discounted Hardware > $MVNO + $Hardware

  • The only 'real' discount you can get with AT&T is by way of 'retention' department - they give you. $300 credit over 24 bills if you buy and split up the phone cost monthly. So if you're buying a flagship phone like an iPhone or any of the other phones that basically don't go on sale, you're dumb to leave money on the table.

    With retentions, there's no taking your old phone, so go straight to swap a with it and make some more cash. Or just keep it and trickle it down through different family members. G

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