Apple iPhone Stagnation Predicted Ahead Of 2018 iPhone Lineup Launch

Looks like Apple’s iPhone series will experience stagnation this year. A new survey has apparently found that only 22 percent of current iPhone owners are contemplating on upgrading to the latest iPhone models when they come out in the fall season.

Loup Ventures’ latest survey points toward a predictable upgrade cycle from iPhone users. Th thing is, only 22 percent of current owners are said to be planning to buy the next-generation iPhone models later this year. Analyst Gene Munster even said in the report that Apple’s iPhone business is expected to suffer lower growth.

In Loup Ventures’ survey of 511 people, 266 were identified to be iPhone owners. Then, only 22 percent of the iPhone owners are looking to purchase the latest iPhone models when they arrive this coming fall. Last year’s survey found 23 percent of Apple fans planning to buy the next-generation models amid widespread reports about the iPhone X at the time of the survey.

Munster concluded in his report that after seeing the figures from the previous years, it’s not that hard to imagine that Apple’s iPhone business would soon settle into a predictable pattern of a 1 to 5 percent yearly increase. “We expect investors will increasingly view the iPhone hardware business as a subscription business, given the upgrade patterns are becoming more predictable,” the analyst noted.

Therefore, Loup Ventures is not expecting a supercycle for the upcoming lineup of 2018 iPhones. The firm is simply looking at a 3 percent growth for fiscal 2019, which is down from the 7 percent in fiscal 2018, as per Apple Insider.

It’s worth noting though that Munster believes a bump in screen size equates to an uptick in consumers’ intent to upgrade or buy the next-generation model. Recent reports are saying that Apple is working on a jumbo-sized iPhone X Plus with a 6.5-inch OLED screen. If true, then Apple could see more consumers upgrading this year.

IBTimes learned last week that Apple could be preparing two new OLED models and one LCD model this year. One OLED iPhone is said to feature a 6.5-inch display, while the other is rumored to come with a 5.8-inch screen. On the other hand, the LCD model is believed to sport a 6.04-inch display. All three models are reportedly sporting smaller bezels and a smaller notch for the Face ID biometric system.