A greater demand will be seen for the iPhone that will be launched in 2017 in China, said IDC
Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is set to fail in China, according to research firm IDC.
The company stated that when Apple announced the launch of its latest iPhone’s on 7 September, there were a few things that stood out; namely that the devices are finally IP67 certified and water resistant, have a better dual camera with a lower aperture, and longer battery life. “These are upgraded features that consumers will appreciate,” said IDC.
It said in a statement: “Apple is trying to move away from wires by removing the headphone jack and introducing its Airpods (wireless earphones). Consumers still have the option to use their traditional earphones through Apple’s lightning adapter.
“However, it is quite a turnoff for Chinese consumers since they will now no longer be able to listen to music on their iPhones while charging their phones. While Apple’s AirPod wireless earbuds is a nice concept, the hefty price of $159 Apple plan to charge for it might be a turn-off. Also, the earbuds will only last for five hours without charging; a short time given many consumers in China take long train rides to travel to the different parts of the country. IDC expects this will not be a huge hit in China for now.”
Given that Apple is trying to move away from wires, the company added that, “it was a little disappointing that neither wireless charging nor the rumoured long distance wireless charging technology was introduced in the latest iteration of its iPhone”. It noted that Chinese consumers are often seen charging their phones with a portable battery charger on the buses or trains so the phone’s longer battery life is useful. “But wireless charging would have been the innovative step up consumers are looking for,” IDC said. “Perhaps this is something consumers can look forward to in the next iteration of the iPhone.”
IDC added: “It is getting harder for Apple and other smartphone vendors in general to be innovative and to stand out with groundbreaking new features with every new iteration, especially with something that caters to a niche market like China. What we saw in iPhone 7 were small incremental updates, not extraordinary ones that stand out compared to the rest.:
It said the key design difference between the new iPhone and the older generations is the introduction of the Jet Black and Black colours. “The new colours would help early adopters of iPhone7 get noticed due to the unique colo’rs of this iteration. But this may not be sufficient to warrant a change for most consumers.”
However, IDC did say that although the changes are rather minimal, the loyal Apple fans in China, especially those already used to and locked into the iOS ecosystem, will still upgrade to the latest iPhone 7 if they are due for one. “But there are others who will choose to wait for the iPhone planned for release next year when Apple celebrates the 10th anniversary of the launch of its iPhone,” it said.
IDC concluded: “With the minimal changes and a similar design to the previous two iPhone generations, we do not expect the shipment numbers for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to be as high as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus when these models were first launched in China. We expect those who are already on iPhones to make up the majority who will purchase the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and we do not expect Android users to be attracted to purchase the latest iPhone. A greater demand will be seen for the iPhone that will be launched in 2017 in China.”
