Initial reports may have hinted at a strong start for Apple's iPhone 5C, but speculation now suggests pre-orders for the range as a whole may be on the slow side.
Used to Apple publishing bullish pre-order figures within days of handsets going on sale 24 hour figures the norm - the firm's silence when it comes to consumer take up of iPhone 5C has led much of the press to suggest that the news must not be good.
The numbers game
The last four years have seen Apple boast about early consumer interest in new iPhones: iPhone 4 amassed 600,000 pre-orders in 24 hours, topped one year later when its successor iPhone 4S hit 1 million during its first day.
More amazingly, iPhone 5 hit 2 million pre-orders in its first 24 hours last September.
The lack of information about iPhone 5C take up, then, has led many to speculate that it's far from a record breaker.
As such, many outlets are attributing the continued downward slide in Apple shares to a lack of any iPhone 5C pre-order figures.
It never rains, but it pours
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese carrier China Mobile has cut back on iPhone subsidies, resulting in more expensive upfront charges for Chinese consumers interested in purchasing Apple's new smartphones.
The news is a particular kick in the teeth for Apple in the region, given many already believed the new iPhones including the cheaper iPhone 5C are still too expensive to make a mark in the country.
Apple's current smartphone share in China sits at below 5 percent.
More on iPhone 5C's performance to date may be revealed when its more expensive brother, the iPhone 5S, goes on sale on 20 September.
You can read the reaction of many of the mobile industry's leading lights to iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S here.
[source: The Verge]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Top Stories
Feature
May 17th, 2024
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a battle royale to a console classic remake
Feature
May 16th, 2024
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
Events
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
Morocco Gaming Expo | Africa | May 24th |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Unreal Fest Gold Coast 2024 | Australasia | May 29th |
Popular Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
May 13th, 2024
Hot Five: Dubai's new Gaming Visa, April's mobile game charts, and Xbox studio closures
Interview
May 13th, 2024