The price of iPhone 15 "dives", can't high-end mobile phones hold up?

Less than two months after the launch, the price of the iPhone 15 series of mobile phones was "unbearable", and on e-commerce platforms such as Pinduoduo and Douyin, the price of some products was reduced by more than 1,500 yuan, but during the visit, the reporter found that the offline stores were a different scene. Industry views point out that the diversification of channels and the "double 11" promotion effect have caused the price of Apple's mobile phones to fall, but more importantly, in the current mobile phone field, the concept of "high-end" is undergoing unprecedented challenges, and Apple has enough room for maneuver?

What is the price "diving".

This year's "Double 11" has not yet arrived, but the price of iPhone 15 has "dived", according to the observation of a reporter from Beijing Business Daily, in some online channels, the minimum starting price of iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB has dropped to 9098 yuan. The minimum starting price of the iPhone 15 standard version 128GB has dropped to 5198 yuan, which is nearly 1,000 yuan lower than the price on the official website, and the maximum price reduction of some versions is more than 1500 yuan.

There are obvious differences in price reductions on different platforms,On Apple's official website,iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series still maintain the original price,Jingdong's self-operated、Taobao flagship has no obvious price reduction,On the contrary, Pinduoduo、Douyin and other channels through promotion,The price of iPhone 15 has been lowered。

Offline stores are another situation, Beijing Business Daily reporter visited the Apple retail store in Wangfujing and found that the iPhone 15 has not been reduced in price, and the store staff also said that they have not received a notice about the price reduction, and the staff said that it has nothing to do with the store for the behavior of online channels such as Pinduoduo. But at the same time, the staff also said that compared with the rush to buy when the iPhone 15 series was first released, the stock in the store is relatively abundant now, and some colors of iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro do not need to be pre-ordered.

Then the reporter also visited other offline stores, many of which staff said, iPhone 15 series has not been reduced in price, not only Apple, in fact, the new models of mobile phones on sale this year are not likely to be reduced, for the supply situation, the staff said, whether it is iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 pro are not in stock, you need to make an appointment and transfer goods from other places.

Previously, a dealer told reporters in an interview that the sales of mobile phones in offline stores are bleak, after all, since the products are the same, as long as the store is a little more expensive than online, it will not attract consumers, this situation is especially obvious in the first and second tier cities, and even some dealers buy from Pinduoduo and resell it to consumers.

Liang Zhenpeng, a senior industrial economic observer, told a reporter from Beijing Business Daily that the most obvious reason for the price plunge of the iPhone 15 series is e-commerce promotion, and the "Double 11" price war has begun, which is why there will be a difference in offline and online prices.

Experts pointed out that the reason why e-commerce platforms such as Douyin and Pinduoduo have low-cost sources of goods is first of all because of subsidies, and e-commerce companies will set aside a high commercial promotion budget in order to expand the user base and increase the market share, and discount the price of mobile phones as much as possible. Secondly, dealers have become an important source of low-cost goods for e-commerce, for the Apple brand, maintaining price consistency is the key to maintaining the brand image, but dealers have no such concerns, how to quickly ship, return funds, and reduce risks is the problem they have to consider.

High-end concepts are challenging

At the same time, another industry point of view pointed out that the reason why the price of Apple's mobile phone has dived is largely due to the deviation of its pricing strategy.

However, Apple's parity line not only does not reduce the price, but the high-end line further raises the price, iPhone 15 series, 256GB or more products have increased in price to varying degrees, the most expensive iPhone 15 Pro Max is priced as high as 13999 yuan, becoming the most expensive Apple mobile phone in history.

What's more, even after the "price reduction", the price of the iPhone 15 is still expensive. Taking iPhone 15 Pro Max as an example, the current price is still as high as 9,000 yuan after "diving", and the price of the highest version is still more than 12,000 yuan after "direct drop of 1,500 yuan". As a comparison, the flagship machines of other Android manufacturers are generally priced at around 6000 yuan, and most of them start at around 5999 yuan. Even the popular Huawei Mate 60 Pro has a starting price of only 6299 yuan.

Such a price strategy is already showing its consequences, with sales of iPhones falling 4.5% in the first 17 days of release compared to the iPhone 14, according to market tracker Counterpoint Research, possibly one of the worst iPhone debuts in China since 2018. Factors such as poor consumer confidence, lower performance improvements of the iPhone 15 compared to its predecessor and increasingly fierce competition in the high-end phone market have created new challenges for Apple, the agency said.

In the view of industry experts, Apple's long-term high price is supported by its unique performance and ecology, but with the frequent update and optimization of Android mobile phones, not only the performance advantages of the iPhone have been gradually erased, but also in terms of interface design and interaction methods, the two camps of iOS and Android are also becoming more and more identical, in other words, it is difficult for consumers to find a reason to pay a premium for Apple.

How Apple fights "anxiety"

On the issue of price, Apple itself seems to be a little anxious. Recently, there has been an endless stream of official discounts and price reductions.

As early as the end of 2022, Apple introduced a policy that customers who purchase specific products with designated payment methods in the Apple Online Store or Apple Store can enjoy different amounts of instant discounts. The participating products include specific models of iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch and AirPods, of which the discount amount for iPhones and iPads is generally 200 yuan, AirPods and other products are discounted by 100 yuan, and the MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch versions can reach 1,000 yuan.

In February this year, Apple launched a discount plan again, starting from February 5th, all versions of the iPhone 14 Pro series will usher in a discount of 700 yuan, with a starting price of only 7299 yuan, and the deadline for the event is April 1, covering almost all authorized stores.

In addition, Apple is also paying more and more attention to domestic promotion nodes,This year"6·18"During the period,On the official flagship store of Apple Store Tmall,iPhone 14 ProDrop1150Yuan,And can be stacked350Yuan Tmall shopping coupons,The lowest starting price is only 6499Yuan。 iPhone 14 Pro Max dropped by 1350 yuan, of which the price of the 256G version reached 1900 yuan after superimposing discounts, and the starting price was only 8199 yuan.

Major General Ding, an observer of the home appliance industry, pointed out that Apple's official price reduction behavior is more conservative than that of dealers. On the one hand, Apple must maintain the overall price of its products, otherwise it will lead to pricing confusion, trampling on each other's products, and ultimately affecting overall shipments. On the other hand, the iPhone has always maintained a high-end brand image, and a large price reduction promotion will make Apple seem contradictory.

At the same time, Major General Ding also said that a number of mobile phone companies, including Apple, have seen a trend, that is, mobile phones are becoming more and more durable goods, their fashionable and personalized labels are gradually weakening, people's consumption tends to be rational, and the replacement time is getting longer and longer.

Experts believe that in the current mobile phone competition pattern, covering low, medium and high products, rich brands have greater room for maneuver, it is difficult for enterprises to rely on a single parity market or high-end market to support themselves, no matter what the origin, what the positioning, mobile phone brands will look beyond their own territory.

Beijing Business Daily reporter Tao Feng Wang Zhuli