Apple’s bet to launch a larger and cheaper version of the iPhone did not pay off, as according to the latest data, the iPhone 14 Plus was the worst-selling model in the entire series that the company unveiled late last year. However, if there was ever a silver lining in all of this, it would be that the 6.7-inch version was selling better than the iPhone 13 mini during the same period, indicating that Apple made a prudent decision to discontinue the compact model.
Overall, iPhone 14 Plus display shipments only covered 11 percent of the entire market share, which was dominated by the more premium iPhone 14 Pro Max
Data released by Display Supply Chain Consultants talks about iPhone panel shipment data from June 2022 through April 2023. The report states that during this time, the iPhone 14 Plus had 59 percent higher shipments than the iPhone 13 mini over the year-to-year period, showing that while it was the least popular member of the iPhone 14 family, Apple managed to find some success by launching a handset with notable upgrades and a bigger display.
The report states that the iPhone 14 Plus had a display shipment market share of 11 percent, followed by the smaller iPhone 14 at 25 percent. Next, we have the more premium iPhone 14 Pro with a market share of 28 percent, and last but certainly not least, the iPhone 14 Pro Max takes the majority with a 36 percent share. Overall, iPhone 14 shipments improved slightly compared to the iPhone 13 lineup, with a 2 percent increase in the number of year-on-year shipments.
Looking at the popularity of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, it is no surprise that Apple intends to introduce more exclusive features to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year, thereby increasing overall revenue and its margins for the year. For the iPhone 14 Plus successor, which will likely be called the iPhone 15 Plus, Apple may revise its starting price, making it appear as more of a value proposition rather than a ‘cash grab’, otherwise, it may risk an unsuccessful launch yet again.
Despite some hiccups experienced by the California-based giant last year, Apple managed to capture 75 percent of the premium smartphone market share, and assuming that it tweaks its iPhone sales strategy slightly this year, it could stand to grab a bigger piece of the pie. Looking at these figures, it is highly unlikely that Apple will want to experiment with another iPhone ‘mini’ launch and will stick to larger screen size releases in the future.
News Source: DSCC (Display Supply Chain Consultants)
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