Is The Apple iPhone 11 Too Cheap? Analyst Raises Concern

The Q4 2019 earnings of Apple reveal that the Cupertino-based tech giant was able to achieve decent growth. The major contributors to this growth are increased revenues from various wearables, services, accessories, and iPads. But, while many are praising Apple for its impressive performance, one major analyst was not impressed but is even worried by the result.

Apple has been selling the iPhones at a much lower price in an effort to raise its subscriber base for its services segment. The Cupertino-based tech giant released the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max last Sept. The standard variant, iPhone 11 retails at $699, which is $50 much cheaper than the iPhone XR released in 2018.

Barclays’ Managing Director Tim Long is worried that Apple may be setting a meager average price for iPhones since more users would prefer cheaper units, according to CNBC. While the revenue of the iPhone is in-line, the average selling prices are weaker, says Long in a note to clients titled Services Strength Masks ASP Pressure, released last Thursday.

Apple shares increased over 1 percent a day after the Cupertino-based tech giant shared better than anticipated earnings and revenue in the fiscal fourth quarter even though there is a drop in iPhone in terms of sales. Apple posted earnings of $3.03 per share on $64 billion in revenue. The anticipated earnings estimated by Wall Street are just $2.48 per share on $62.99 billion in revenue.

The increase in the result is contributed by strong demand for AirPods and iPads and also in the growth of the company’s services business. Apple reports that the iPhone has slightly higher revenue this quarter of $33.36 billion, exceeding the company’s estimated earnings of $32.42 billion. However, Barclays’ Long states that the average selling price of iPhones might drop10 percent year over year in the fourth quarter.

The managing director now projects a 12 percent average selling price drop in 2019 and a 6.5 percent ASP drop in 2020. While some analysts are bullish on the concept of the upcoming 5G iPhones scheduled to release in 2020, Long believes the Cupertino-based tech giant would be able to charge adequately without affecting the demand. Apple’s lower pricing trend may present challenges for 5G devices, which could carry at least $150 increased ASP, Long claims.