Are Apple conflicted about the XR?

General Chat Tech & Gaming
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It’s been stated here that the XR is the biggest selling iPhone, and has been since it’s release.

We’ve had other reports of weak sales of the XS and XS Max, forcing Apple to bring the X back to market in order to satisfy their screen purchase agreement with Samsung.

And yet… Something feels a bit off.

Most notable is the lack of first-party cases for the XR, despite one having been shown in marketing materials and there being no less than 12 available for the XS.

The Verge pointed out before that :

“it’s unusual for Apple to cede such a crucial accessory for these glass-sandwich phones to others. It’s an easy $40 or $50 and as close as you can get to a guaranteed add-on for every iPhone that goes out the door. So it surprises me that Tim Cook of all people would be okay with giving that up. Even temporarily.”

It’s very strange - the cost of production on cases is incredibly low, the price on official ones is incredibly high, and yet people buy them anyway. It’s a significant income source and it seems strange that not only Apple not done this but it seems like they won’t do it in time for the Xmas sales season either?

I don’t know about their internal culture, but I wonder perhaps whether the XR and XS/Max came from different teams and there’s conflict about who can curry the most favours with Tim and the execs. I know about similar situations happening at Google so it wouldn’t be surprising.

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Same - also got the Red XR. I think Apple maybe underestimated how popular it would be.

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Love my yellow XR! But I think you’re all right — I don’t think they thought it was going to be this popular.

I’d love an Apple-designed silicon case that matches the colour of my phone, or some kind of higher-quality clear case. For now, I’ll deal with the one I found for a tenner on Amazon!

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Yep, I picked up the yellow model, too. It just felt a bit edgy and different (and I’ve got a yellow Lenovo K3 Note, ancient chip-as-chips Android).

First time I’ve purchased new, as I’ve always prided myself on not buying new when I can buy refurbished. For some reason, I felt compelled…:face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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Yes Apple are conflicted! They don’t want it to sell because it’s their cheapest phone :joy:

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I think Apple are at a stage where they’re conflicted between making great products and just making more $$$.

Apple gear has always been pricey but it used to feel like you pay a little more and you can feel the difference in quality.

Nowadays everyone is making prettty great hardware and it feels like things are more expensive because Apple need a growth narrative.

The XR really exemplifies this. It’s the most expensive base iPhone ever but it somehow now feels cheap because the XS is even more pricey.

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My girlfriend just bought the iPhone X from John Lewis for £799.
3D Touch was actually the deal breaker for her not to get the Xr.

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I did the same thing on black Friday weekend. Good deal… although annoyingly it did go down to £779 at one point.

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We did get AppleCare from apple as well. It means they don’t say “Oh you need to go back to John Lewis to get that fixed” if it breaks, or as has happened recently, the headphones stop working.

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Good shout, might have a wee look into that!

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Finally:

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£45 though… Wowzers.

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It’s magic plastic though…

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Unapologetically plastic.

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I’m convinced that someone at Apple pulls these prices out of a hat. £45 for this case is astonishing.

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It might be, but keep your iPhone in great condition and the resale value is usually a lot better than other phones.