Shane Cole
Apple's mid-range iPhone 5c is beginning to close the sales gap on the company's flagship iPhone 5s, while the iPad 2 commands the lion's share of the Apple tablet installed base, according to new data from mobile analytics company Localytics.
The report, which examined 20 million unique devices between Sept. 20 and Oct. 18, says that there are now 2.3 active iPhone 5s units for every iPhone 5c globally, down from 3.3 units one week after the handsets' launch. The numbers are even tighter in the United States, with the iPhone 5s-to-5c ratio dropping from 3.0 one week after launch to 1.9 today.
The iPhone 5c's apparently increasing popularity flies in the face of reports of lackluster sales and slashed production orders for the colorful device. Continually constrained iPhone 5s supplies may be contributing — Â Apple retail associates said in September that "the 5C is quite good and a lot of customers who can't get the 5s haven't minded upgrading to a 5c."
Meanwhile, Apple's iPad 2 continues to be the most popular iPad, accounting for nearly 40 percent of active units. The iPad 2's 38 percent share is more than that of the latest iPad 4 (18 percent) and iPad mini (17 percent) combined, according to the data.
The iPad 2 featured an all-new industrial design, and subsequent revisions to Apple's tablet have added higher-resolution Retina displays and incremental hardware upgrades. Localytics suggests this may be a factor in the iPad 2's continued dominance, saying it is possible that "perceived differentiation of the latest-generation tablets is getting smaller with each new release."
Apple is widely expected to unveil a redesigned, slimmer fifth-generation iPad on Tuesday in what one analyst called "the most important refresh of the iPad franchise...since the first iPad went on sale." Cupertino is also — Â controversially — Â rumored to show off a Retina display-equipped second-generation iPad mini at the event.
AppleInsider Staff
Malcolm Owen
Oliver Haslam
Andrew O'Hara
Wesley Hilliard
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
78 Comments
Localytics statistics apparently had no value before so I'm thinking they must hold no value now.
Still have the iPad 2 myself... I bet that most people waited until the 2 to buy and then didn't see any real benefit to the 3 or the 4...
Why anyone is surprised with this is beyond me.
The vast majority who RUSHED to purchase at launch were Apple fans...who buy the best, which is the 5s.
Both phones are good phones.
Many would like to save a couple hundred dollars and consider... then buy the 5c.
It was just a matter of time.
Now, need to look at total numbers to determine whether it was a success or not. I'm guessing it was a success and will continue to be for the year at least.
I have an iPad 2, and I am waiting for a Retina iPad Mini. I think most people waited for the 2nd gen iPad. The first iPad was thick and had no front camera, and I just waited for the 2nd gen. Also, tablets arent like your phone, there is no contract, and you don't necessarily have to upgrade as often as you would your phone. My iPad 2 works great, and I don't think I would ever update to another iPad unless something happened to it.
Wow! I think of the iPad 2 as being so old and slow that it surprises me that anyone would choose it. I do know that it is the iPad of choice by companies that are giving away a tablet for promotional reasons. Still... That the iPhone 5c is gaining on the 5s isn't surprising, there are a lot of buyers that need to wait until their old iPhone comes off contract (myself included) and they may be younger and less affluent than the 5s buyers. Two demographics that may lean toward the more colorful iPhones.