Report: Apple to lower iPhone XR prices in Japan, restarts some iPhone X production

[jaideejung007]

 

Apple is set to lower prices of the iPhone XR in Japan by offering subsidies to Japanese carriers, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal this morning. The price drops are apparently going into effect as soon as next week. The $750 price is somewhat disguised in Japan due to bundled carrier contracts, but the device is seemingly being overshadowed by the still popular iPhone 8 in the region.

 

In that same vein, the report says Apple is actually restarting production of the iPhone X for sale in certain markets …

 

It’s not clear how significant the price drop on the iPhone XR will be.

 

Price cuts from Apple are rare but not unprecedented. It has used the tactic from time to time targeted at specific markets where devices underperform. We would not expect to see price cuts reflected worldwide, only in certain geographic regions as appropriate.

 

It is somewhat disconcerting to see price cuts happen in Japan, where the iPhone has a commanding dominance on the smartphone market. It seems like that is still the case, but customers are favoring iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus series over the iPhone XR.

 

iPhone X returns

The new production round of iPhone X is ‘due in part’ to Apple’s contract requirements with Samsung Display, according to the same Wall Street Journal report. Apple has to meet minimum order requirements of OLED display panels.

 

Due to some sluggishness in iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, bringing back the iPhone X allows Apple to use the excess OLED screen components in a product that was shown to be very popular during its lifetime, at a discounted price that more people can afford.

 

It’s not clear if the iPhone X will go back on sale around the world. It is unlikely that Apple will stock the iPhone X in its own stores, rather opting to sell it through carriers and resellers. It is currently on sale at new Apple Authorized retailer Amazon for $899 with SimpleMobile. Apple did something similar in the past by relaunching the iPhone 6 years after it was officially discontinued.

 

Source: 9to5mac

[steven36]

iPhone X to make a comeback, but only in international markets

The iPhone X was a hit when it was released back in 2017, but it was quickly killed off to make way for the newer versions of the phone released this year, the iPhone XS and the cheaper iPhone XR. However, flagging demand for Apple’s flagship phones coupled with supply chain issues have led to cuts in production orders for all of their newer iPhone models.

Apparently Apple had problems moving from offering one model of phone to offering three, as it made it difficult to estimate how many components would be required. The OLED screens made by company Samsung seem to have been a particular sticking point, with not enough screens available to Apple to manufacture the number of iPhone XS units that were required.

To handle this shortfall, Apple appears to have resumed manufacturing the older iPhone X, which is cheaper to make. However, the iPhone X won’t be back on shelves in the U.S. Instead, it will be made available on the international market. The cheaper iPhone X will likely be offered in India and China, where the high price of the iPhone XS has been a tough sell to customers leading to low sales numbers.

The cheaper iPhone XR has been popular in the U.S., where customers can save $250 by opting for the lower spec model but have a similar experience to those buying the full-fledged XS model. But in Japan the XR model has not been so well received. Japanese customers are said to have had issues with the iPhone XR’s lower quality screen, more basic camera, and slower data speeds when compared to the higher-end iPhone XS. Therefore, the iPhone X may also go on sale in Japan, where sales of the iPhone XS have been slower than expected, but the older iPhone 8 continues to sell well.

 

By making the cheaper iPhone X available internationally, Apple will both serve a large market outside of the U.S. and get around their supply issues with the screens in particular. But since Apple announced this month that it would no longer share unit sales of iPhones, our understanding of sales figures will have to be based on speculation and third party reports.

 

Source