Apple’s pre-order data has shown that the iPhone Pro Max is the company’s most successful model to date, despite it also being the most expensive.
In Australia, the Pro Max starts at A$1,899 and ranges to A$2,769 for the 1TB version.
In America, the Pro Max starts at US$1,099, being marketed for the same price as its top-tier iPhone 13, despite rumours of a price hike.
But while it may appear Apple has bucked inflationary pressure to keep its top model as affordable as possible, it has stripped out features from the iPhone 14 and Plus model, ditched the Mini, and made the Pro models the only real options for canny consumers.
The iPhone standard (pictured below) features last year’s A15 processor, and no significant camera upgrades, while the Plus offers a 6.7-inch screen, but won’t be available until October 7.
Neither offer up a strong argument for upgrading from any of the iPhone 13 models.
Apple is instead banking on upscale shoppers to pay for the premium experience, and its pre-sale figures show this strategy was very successful.
“Pre-order data shows that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the best-selling model, and that it is doing better than the iPhone 13 Pro Max did at this point,” KGI Securities analyst Christine Wang wrote in a report last week.
“The data continues to point to robust demand for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which could have a materially positive impact for both mix and margins,” Amit Daryanani, an analyst at Evercore ISI, said in a report this week.
On September 13, upon news of Apple’s record preorder sales, the tech giant’s shares rose 3.9 per cent, their biggest one-day gain since May 27.
While Apple shares have suffered a 16 per cent drop this year, they remain above the S&P 500, down 19 per cent, and the NASDAQ, which has fallen 27 per cent.
