iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Sales Lead the Way
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) released analysis of the results from its research on Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for the calendar quarter that ended September 30, 2014.
CIRP finds that the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus enjoyed a very strong introduction, accounting for a larger percentage of sales in the launch quarter than previous new iPhone models. The iPad model mix showed slight improvement.
The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models accounted for 46% of all iPhones sold in the quarter, with iPhone 6 at 33% and iPhone 6 Plus at 13% (see Chart 1).
Chart 1: iPhone Models US Sales Mix, Third Quarter 2014 and 2013
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus had a very successful start, which should dominate Apple's iPhone results for the quarter. Not only did customers gravitate to the two new flagship phones, Apple also captured a $100 premium with the 6 Plus. In about two weeks, this model accounted for 13% of iPhone sales for the quarter. Apple's revised pricing for upgraded storage, at $100 for 64GB and $200 for 128GB, should also boost iPhone revenue.
The results for the first two weeks look promising. We expect to have further results once we look at the 30-day figures for iPhone sales, in the last week of October.
The iPad Air also continued to dominate sales of iPad tablets. It accounted for 54% of all iPad sales in the quarter (see Chart 2).
Chart 2: iPad Models US Sales Mix, Third Quarter 2014 and 2013
The iPad Air led the way for Apple in the third quarter. iPad Air models had significantly higher share of sales than last year's flagship, the iPad with Retina Display. This squeezed the share of that $399 legacy model. In the smaller format, iPad Mini with Retina Display helped increase the share of 7.9 inch screen models sold, and increased the average retail price.
CIRP bases its findings on its survey of 500 US Apple customers, surveyed from September 30-October 9, 2014, that purchased an iPhone, iPad, or Mac in the US in July-September 2014. For additional information, please contact CIRP.