iOS

Analysts Predict the iPhone 6 and Associated Device Launch Will Not Be the Biggest Ever

Thursday, September 4, 2014

It’s a great time to be a mobile developer. Yes there are a number of challenges, however from a platform standpoint, the OS competition between Apple and Google, packaged with the number of Android based devices battling Apple’s products, means a blinding pace of mobile innovation, providing an ever increasing robust platform for developers and their apps.

As part of our focus on the upcoming iPhone launch, we are providing insights from experts within the mobile development industry to provide clarity into the ramifications of the upcoming Apple new product launch. For example, we recently published an article covering advice from Localytics on how to prepare your app for this huge opportunity to grab more users.

In this news post, we look at analysis from Todd Day, a Mobile & Wireless Senior Industry Analyst with Frost & Sullivan. Day’s report is titled “Apple’s Projected September 9th iPhone 6 Announcement: What Will the Impact Be?”.

Day analysis includes a focus on the past iPhone launch numbers as he provides Frost & Sullivan’s insight and preditions on the iPhone 6. Much of the analysis is focused on previous iPhone launches, as can be seen from the main graphic with this article.

Below are historical launch figures for the last three iPhone iterations:

October 2011 - iPhone 4S

- Quarterly sales increase: 117.0%.

- Quarterly revenue increase: 122.4%

- Quarterly iTunes/Accessories increase: 167.5%

September 2012 - iPhone 5

- Quarterly sales increase: 77.6%

- Quarterly revenue increase: 79.0%

- Quarterly iTunes/Accessories increase: 16.1% (However, since the device was released in Q3, 2012, much of the accessory sales were in the previous quarter which saw a quarterly increase of 130.6%)

September 2013 - iPhone 5s/5c

- Quarterly sales increase: 51.0%

- Quarterly revenue increase: 66.6%

- Quarterly iTunes/Accessories increase: 12.2%

Here are Frost & Sullivan’s projections on the iPhone 6 launch:

September, 2014 - iPhone 6 & Wearable

- Quarterly sales increase: 65.3%

- Quarterly revenue increase: 75.7%

- Quarterly iTunes/Accessories increase: 68.2%

As the numbers show, it’s going to be hard for Apple to beat the launch of the iPhone 4S. According to Frost & Sullivan’s predictions, the launch of the iPhone 6 will see numbers somewhere between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5s/5c.

Which could mean that, while this launch won’t be groundbreaking in numbers, it’s still going to help Apple have a very good year. Which means iOS developers have yet another great opportunity.

The report is available to download on the Frost & Sullivan website.