This weekend saw Apple’s latest smartphone going on sale. The critical reception to the iPhone SE has been strong but sales over the first weekend have been underwhelming according to mobile engagement firm Localytics. The iPhone SE’s impact has been much lower than previous iPhone handsets.
It should be noted that Localytic’s numbers do not necessarily tell the whole story. The dataset is derived from its mobile engagement platform which requires applications, games and services that use the Localytics platform to be installed. Given the nature of the iPhone SE as a device targeting a younger and more price-sensitive market, there may not have been a rush to install as many applications as possible from new owners.
Yet Apple pitched this as an iPhone that could do the same as the current flagships, with the same specifications, and the same potential. Apps are a core part of the iOS experience. At the very least Localytics’ methodology allows a direct comparison of the SE’s first weekend to that of the iPhone 5S, 6, 6 Plus, 6S, and 6S Plus. All of those models saw opening weekend performances that were better than the iPhone SE’s weekend.
The SE’s 0.1 percent market share of iOS devices compares to the launch weekends of the iPhone 6S family (1.3 percent combined) and the iPhone 6 family (2.3 percent). It’s also nine times lower than the opening weekend of the iPhone 5S.
In Apple’s defence, the iPhone SE is not a flagship handset and does not cram in new features, or sync up with the one- or two-year network contracts that many early adopters will have signed each September alongside the new iPhone. There’s no pressure on the geekerati to be seen with this handset. In fact if they are seen with this handset most casual observers would think they are going all San Francisco Hipster and continuing to use ‘something old’.
This weekend saw Apple’s latest smartphone going on sale. The critical reception to the iPhone SE has been strong but sales over the first weekend have been underwhelming according to mobile engagement firm Localytics. The iPhone SE’s impact has been much lower than previous iPhone handsets.
It should be noted that Localytic’s numbers do not necessarily tell the whole story. The dataset is derived from its mobile engagement platform which requires applications, games and services that use the Localytics platform to be installed. Given the nature of the iPhone SE as a device targeting a younger and more price-sensitive market, there may not have been a rush to install as many applications as possible from new owners.
Yet Apple pitched this as an iPhone that could do the same as the current flagships, with the same specifications, and the same potential. Apps are a core part of the iOS experience. At the very least Localytics’ methodology allows a direct comparison of the SE’s first weekend to that of the iPhone 5S, 6, 6 Plus, 6S, and 6S Plus. All of those models saw opening weekend performances that were better than the iPhone SE’s weekend.
The SE’s 0.1 percent market share of iOS devices compares to the launch weekends of the iPhone 6S family (1.3 percent combined) and the iPhone 6 family (2.3 percent). It’s also nine times lower than the opening weekend of the iPhone 5S.
iPhone SE Opening Weekend Adoption (image: Localytics)
In Apple’s defence, the iPhone SE is not a flagship handset and does not cram in new features, or sync up with the one- or two-year network contracts that many early adopters will have signed each September alongside the new iPhone. There’s no pressure on the geekerati to be seen with this handset. In fact if they are seen with this handset most casual observers would think they are going all San Francisco Hipster and continuing to use ‘something old’.
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The iPhone SE is designed as an upgrade product for those looking for a smaller screened iPhone. More than any other iPhone released by Cupertino, the SE is about the long tail of sales, not the out-of-the-gate performance. And I’m sure there will be a number of ‘dark’ users who will not have appeared in this survey.
The momentum around the iPhone SE is not of an all-conquering vision from Apple, it’s about making sure everyone has a handset they want at a price point they can afford. As I wrote at the weekend it’s as if Apple has decided to promote itself as ‘The American Samsung‘ and be all things to all people. The relatively slow uptake of the iPhone SE feeds into this narrative. Apple has ensured that the iPhone SE has avoided the critical drubbing the iPhone 5C received, but in the process it has traded away Apple’s unique visionary status and the company is one step closer to being seen as little more than ‘another hardware manufacturer.’
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