Apple's brand-new iPhone 14 Plus has only been on sale for a couple of weeks, but it's already being branded a flop, with analysts at TrendForce noting a "lukewarm" market response to the product.
As a result of a market that seems increasingly willing to pass on Apple's 6.7-inch non-Pro iPhone, the company is said to be focusing on the iPhone 14 Pro as its savior.
Lukewarm response
As part of a larger TrendForce report, analyst Mia Huang says that "the market response after the release of the iPhone 14 Plus was lukewarm" and that Apple has adjusted its production accordingly. Instead, Apple is continuing to focus on the iPhone 14 Pro, with the Pro models traditionally selling better in the weeks immediately following its initial release.
The report also correctly points out that this year's iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models haven't increased in price over last year's iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, despite a notable improvement in capabilities and specifications. This year's models have a new A17 Bionic chip, 48-megapixel camera, Always-In Display, and Dynamic Island. By contrast, the non-Pro models are incredibly similar to last year's models.
TrendForce also suggests that the delayed launch of the iPhone 14 Plus — it shipped weeks after the other models — didn't help its case, either.
The same TrenForce report also points to new iPhone 15 features and specifications, including a new periscope lens that is expected to be part of the iPhone 15 Pro Max camera setup. That alone should make for the best iPhone yet in terms of photography capabilities, thanks to a rumored 10x zoom.
If Apple follows its usual release schedule, we can expect an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max to be announced in September of 2023.
