LONDON: Retailers and analysts are expecting sales of the new iPhone X and 8 to match the considerable pre-release hype when the the latest models are available for preorder in the Gulf from Oct. 27.
The sight of thousands of Apple-obsessed fans working themselves up into a frenzy and lining up around the block in order to get their hands on the latest iPhone is nothing new; the annual iPhone launch is as much a date in some people鈥檚 calendars as their birthday.
Analysts, however, are expecting sales of the iPhone X, Apple鈥檚 10th anniversary model, and iPhone 8, launched amid the usual fanfare on Tuesday, to buck the trend of a recent fall in sales.
鈥淲e are expecting to see a growth this year over sales in 2016. Last year鈥檚 sales were down against 2015,鈥� Anshul Gupta, research director of Gartner, a research and advisory company, told Arab News.
鈥淲e see this growth as being down to sales of the new iPhone 10 and 8, not least because sales of the iPhone in the first half of the year were down on the first half of 2016.鈥�
For Gupta, the lower sales earlier this year and expected rise in sales during the second half of 2017 can be explained by fans being prepared to wait for the iPhone X rather than upgrade to the iPhone 7, which was released a year ago.
鈥淭here were rumors in the market about what the new features were going to be, and people knew there was going to be a 10th anniversary model,鈥� Gupta said.
鈥淪o they waited for the significant upgrade. Pent-up expectations were building ahead of the launch and we anticipate this will lead to better second-half sales.鈥�
That view was echoed by Nilesh Khalklho, CEO of Sharaf DG, who claims the excitement caused by the new models is twofold. First, the idea that the iPhone X is a significant departure from the previous models, and second, because customers in the UAE always love Apple devices.
鈥淭he new iPhone X is the all-new premium launch which has some amazing new features. We see this being a big draw for UAE residents who always like to go for the latest, cutting edge devices,鈥� Khalklho said.
鈥淭he iPhone has been one of the most popular phones in the UAE for many years now.鈥�
However, one analyst, while expecting strong sales of the latest iPhones, is predicting tough times for Apple beyond this latest launch.
Other than the wireless charging, the all-screen design and supposed longer battery life, the one common thing remarked upon about the iPhone 10 is the price: An eye-watering, gulp-inducing $999-plus.
For Brand Finance CEO, David Haigh, that could prove to be the iPhone鈥檚 undoing looking beyond last-quarter sales.
鈥淭hanks to the new launch, the coming months will probably bring a surge in Apple鈥檚 sales, but the brand is going to struggle to retain its position in the long run,鈥� Haigh told Arab News.
鈥淎pple products remain status symbols in the Gulf. There is no doubt that many early adopters in the region will book their delivery of the new iPhone X or Apple Watch as soon as they become available.
鈥淗owever, with the advent of cheaper handsets from brands like Huawei, whose success is particularly fueled by growth in emerging markets such as the Middle East, Apple鈥檚 increasing focus on what are effectively luxury products may ultimately cost the brand a large share of the mass market.
鈥淏rand value depends on the topline figures and if Apple fails to boost revenues in key markets such as the Gulf, its brand value will continue to fall.鈥�
But while Apple may need to worry about the long term due its pricing structure, Kutaiba Edrees, store manager at iStyle in Riyadh, foresees no problem with the price of the iPhone X.
鈥淲e are expecting very good sales of the iPhone X,鈥� Edrees said.
鈥淭he price is not a problem, it will sell at around SR5,000 ($1,333) and that is not a problem for our customers, they love Apple and they love the iPhone. It is very popular in 萝莉视频.鈥�
He did, however, anticipate a marked difference in sales between the anniversary iPhone X and the iPhone 8.
鈥淲e expect the iPhone 10 to sell very well, but the iPhone 8 not so much. The 10 is completely new, new design, everything is new.
鈥淭he 8 on the other hand is very similar to the 7, the same design as 7, and the 6s.鈥�