With a little over a month since Apple launched the iPhone 5c, reports have claimed the smartphone "flopped," at least in comparison to the fellow iPhone 5s.
The iPhone 5c launched with the iPhone 5s on Sept. 20. Apple has confirmed nine million units of both iPhones were sold during its first-weekend sales. The Cupertino-based organization didn't reveal specific numbers for the iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c. Regardless, the nine million units sold for both phones were four million units more than the first-weekend sales of the iPhone 5 in September 2012, which sold five million units.
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Despite the overall sales figures, the iPhone 5c has apparently not boded well with consumers.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple has cut orders for the colorful iPhone 5c as the company rolls into the fourth quarter of 2013. The report, citing people familiar with the matter, stated the Cupertino-based organization asked its two main manufacturing partners, Hon Hai and Pegatron, to reduce the volume of orders for the iPhone 5c by 20 percent. The iPhone 5s production, however, was said to increase for the fourth quarter.
ABC News contacted Apple on the alleged production cuts, but the Cupertino-based organization declined to comment.
The iPhone 5s was reportedly outselling the iPhone 5c, based on numbers provided by the analytical and marketing platform Localytics. The firm stated the iPhone 5s outpaced the iPhone 5c by 3.7 times.
CNN's Doug Gross reported a problem for the iPhone 5c is the price. Although the iPhone 5c's 16GB model has a starting price of $99 when signing a two-year contract with a mobile carrier, analysts had predicted the smartphone's cost should have been cheaper in order to attract buyers in China and India.
"In China, where phones aren't subsidized by mobile carriers, the 5C is selling for 3,500 yuan, or about $560," noted Gross. "And though its style is all new, the 5C doesn't sport features significantly upgraded from the iPhone 5, which can be had for as low as $199. The two-year-old iPhone 4S can be had for free with a data plan."
Apple Insider reported that the first "bad news" for the iPhone 5c was that it failed to "sell out" during its first day. Unlike the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 5c was available for pre-orders a week before its official release date.
"By not selling out on day one, it was unclear if Apple had insufficient iPhone 5c demand or had too much experience in managing global logistics over the past decade of launching hit new consumer electronic devices," wrote Apple Insider's Daniel Eran Dilger.
ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes noted five possible reasons the iPhone 5c might be a flop. One reason is the lack of a "sane" color option. The iPhone 5c is available in blue, green, pink, white, and yellow color models, but lacks the "subdued" black or "space gray" models Apple has offered.
Kingsley-Hughes added, "On top of that, the lack of a red option is particularly surprising, especially given Apple's desire to gain a foothold in the Chinese market (red is a color traditionally seen as symbolizing good fortune)"
As Latinos Post reported, 33.8 million iPhones, overall, were sold during the latest fiscal quarter, which is a record compared to the same period last year. The September 2012 fiscal quarter saw Apple sell 26.9 million iPhones.
As of Oct. 25, the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s are available across Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French West Indies, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States.
Do you consider the iPhone 5c as a flop?
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For the latest updates, follow Latinos Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO
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