Apple’s newest iPhone devices went on sale today, and despite signs of diminished enthusiasm for the brand, in many areas they sold out.
China was among the first markets to get the device, of course, but it launched amid some anecdotal reports of smaller lines outside of stores. And China’s popular search engine, Baidu, has seen fewer searches related to the iPhone 7 than there were for the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5. The relative lack of enthusiasm may stem from the less ambitious upgrades to this iteration of the device, with Apple reportedly saving its biggest design changes—perhaps including an iris scanning capability—for next year’s iPhone 8.
‘Relative’ is the operative word here, of course. This is Apple, the biggest smartphone brand in the world, and it’s still seeing considerable excitement over its newest products. Apple sold out of the iPhone 7 Plus and the jet black iPhone 7 in pre-orders before today’s launch, and today there have been reports of scalpers re-selling certain iPhone models for 100 percent profits. In the UK, some mobile companies are advising customers who preordered the device that it won’t arrive until the end of the month.
It’s still too early to cite any actual numbers, of course, but so far Apple’s latest iPhone seems to be a hit, if not one as far out of the ballpark as previous releases.
Sources: CBC News, The Telegraph, CNBC
Follow Us