In its first weekend of availability, Apple’s latest iPhone model, the iPhone SE, has only managed a rather modest 0.1 percent share of the overall market for iPhone devices, according to data compiled by Localytics. With just 0.1 percent share, the iPhone SE now has the distinction of being the iPhone with the lowest adoption rate of any Apple smartphone since 2012. As for the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, it appears that the tech giant’s latest tablet offering is on par with previous iPad releases in terms of initial sales performance.
As remarked by Localytics, the iPhone SE may be a new smartphone product from Apple, but its design and features are essentially borrowed from other existing iPhone models. Consumers may have thought the same, choosing instead to wait for the iPhone 7 later this year, instead of purchasing the iPhone SE, which as impressive as it is, does not not really bring anything new to the table.
Apple was looking to promote the iPhone SE as the perfect choice for iOS mobile users who are looking to upgrade to a new device, preferably one that is smaller than Apple’s current flagship devices, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. However, the iPhone SE did not do well enough to wrest any significant share from the iPhone 5, the old iPhone model that the iPhone SE was supposed to supplant. According to Localytics, this may be an indication that iOS users who own old iPhone models still need some convincing from Apple in order to upgrade to a newer model.
In contrast, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is doing just fine, registering initial sales numbers comparable with those of the iPad Air 2 and last year’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro. During its opening weekend, the 9.7 iPad Pro captured 0.4 percent of the tablet market, which is at par with the iPad Air (0.4 percent share in 2014) and the 2015 iPad Pro (0.3 percent share).