Are we getting three iPhones this year?
Ever since Apple came into existence, the technology giant has made an impression of only introducing one smartphone per year. The device is home to some of the best features prevailing at the moment. There were times when Apple would be the first company among the rest of the smartphone manufacturers to come up with features for the first time. However, those were the glory days under the reign of Steve Jobs. It goes without saying that for the entirety of Steve Jobs’ stewardship of the iPhone program, the Cupertino technology giant never went on to release more than one iPhone device per year. The same single device would strike the perfect chord with the audience.
iPhone X Concept created by Concept Creator
Furthermore, it would strike the right balance of features and prices. However, Steve Jobs passed away and with him, went his theory. Now, if a new report is believed to be true, then the company will be seen introducing not two but three smartphones this year. What better way to further clutter up the iconic Apple lineup? It appears that the company has decided to put Steve Jobs firmly in the company’s rearview mirror. Apple’s iPhone lineup is going on to grow at a speed that is unstoppable.
As can be recalled, the first family to go on to expand beyond just one device was the iPhone 6 family. Back in 2014, Apple went on to introduce two handsets, i.e., iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It took them three years to further expand the lineup. In 2017, the Cupertino technology giant made it a point to launch three new smartphones. The list included the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X. All the three devices were starting at the same time. The information was provided by RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani. Daryanani went on to pen a note wherein he suggested that Apple will be releasing three new iPhone devices this year.
The upcoming smartphones will be introducing at the same time. The company is planning on following up last year’s iPhone X with a more prominent iPhone X Plus or iPhone X 2 smartphone. There will be another addition, which will be a cheaper plus-sized iPhone that sports 6.1-inch of the LCD screen. Of those three, Daryanani expects the LCD iPhone to sell the best, accounting for around half of all iPhone production. “We think the new LCD iPhone (iPhone 9?) will be featuring a 6.1” full screen, and possibly with 3D sensing,” Daryanani writes. “Based on our channel checks, we believe the new features should drive iPhone 9 sell-through, provided pricing is reasonable. Additionally, we think there is potential for a larger-capacity battery as new features are adding to iPhones.”
In a previous note, Daryanani had suggested that the upcoming iPhone 9 would end up costing roughly $650 or $700. The smartphone would thus fall into the same line as the current smartphone, iPhone 8. Apple has never really gone on to sell a big-screen iPhone for less than $749. However, they plan on doing that this year. Another significant revelation is that the iPhone X sales were up to the market as far as Apple’s expectations are concerned. “Based on our channel checks with suppliers, we believe current production expectation for new iPhones is ~80-90M units for second half calendar 2018, which is below suppliers’ expectation of ~100-120M units for iPhone 8/X in early 2017,” Daryanani writes. “However, we would note compared to the very optimistic expectation for iPhone 8/X sell-through, supply chain partners now have a more subdued expectation.”
