2016 ‘iPhone’ Sales Expected To Go Down Again, Demand Is Floundering

Thanks to low upgrade rates among “iPhone” users who get their devices via mobile carriers, speculations are rife that the once popular smartphone brand is losing its appeal. A new report by Nikkei added more weight to the rumors by citing unnamed sources regarding “Apple’s” lagging orders on their newest model.

According to the report, total global “iPhone” orders could be anywhere from 210 to 220 million for 2016. This is an 8.6 percent drop compared to the global shipment in 2015 and the reason is because the demand for the new units has dropped significantly. Supposedly, this lag in demand will continue until early 2017 at best.

For PC Mag, if this report turns out to be accurate, it won’t be all too surprising. Back in April, “Apple” posted their first revenue loss in over a decade and the low numbers of unit upgrades suggest that users are in no hurry to trade their current devices to new ones.

The new models of “iPhones” simply don’t have the same wow factor that their predecessors excelled at. In terms of functionality, reliability, and overall appeal, the “iPhone 6” is still a good performer. However, the new offerings involve nothing more than supped-up specs, a sleeker body, and a slimmer frame. It contains none of the innovative features that made the iPhone such an industry leader since the beginning.

As a result, the most recent quarter only yielded 51.2 million sales for the smartphone. This is a huge decrease compared to the previous quarter which saw 74.7 million phone sales. In the same quarter of 2015, “iPhone” sales were at 61 million units.

In order to bring back user interest in their phones, “Apple” will need to add some truly innovative features. If the news that the next ‘iPhones” will run on Intel processors, be waterproof, and have AMOLED display prove true, the company might just save their flagging smartphone line.