Apple over the past few weeks has implemented a number of initiatives designed to boost iPhone sales. Hardly a surprise, it’s no secret that iPhone sales last quarter — while still strong — came in below initial expectations. In an effort to remedy that, Apple in recent weeks instituted price cuts in China while also ramping up its effort to convince users to trade in their existing devices for shiny new models.
A recent Bloomberg report sheds more light on Apple’s strategy in this regard:
In December, as Apple executives worried about demand, the company asked retail employees to promote the new iPhones using methods not seen before. Technicians were told to push iPhone upgrades to consumers with out-of-warranty devices. Senior sales staff had to make sure other retail workers were suggesting upgrades, and easels offering generous trade-in deals for the iPhone XR were erected in stores. Apple’s online homepage was also replaced with reduced iPhone pricing that required a trade-in of older models.
In light of Apple’s efforts to inject a bit of life into iPhone sales, some have wondered if Apple might make its 2019 iPhone lineup more affordable than its current pricing matrix. Apple, though, enjoys its healthy margins and the idea that its 2019 iPhone lineup will be priced more affordably than its 2018 lineup is arguably far-fetched.
To this point, a recent report from Droid Shout claims that Apple’s 2019 iPhone lineup — which will include successors to the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max — will not be available at a lower price point. Incidentally, Apple’s 2019 iPhone lineup will likely introduce some compelling camera upgrades, with the iPhone XR successor likely to feature a dual-camera scheme and the iPhone XS Max successor rumored to feature a triple-lens camera on the back.
When it comes to pricing, our source claims the 2019 iPhone models will be priced the same as last year’s models. This means the iPhone XR successor might start at $749, while the iPhone 11 could start at $999. The ‘high-end’ iPhone 11 variant, on the other hand, could start at $1,099.
Droid Shout
doesn’t have much of a track record when it comes to iPhone rumors, so you’ll likely want to take this report with a grain of salt. If the report, however, does prove to be true, we can only hope that Apple introduces a revamped iPhone SE which would provide users with a wallet-friendly alternative to the pricier iPhone X variants.
