Sonnet has today announced the eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500 XT and eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5700 docks for Intel-based Macs, featuring increased performance, two USB ports, and support for the Apple Pro Display XDR.
eGPUs can significantly boost a computer's graphics performance by providing a more powerful graphics processor over a fast wired connection, and are often used when a computer's graphics performance is insufficient for demanding tasks such as video editing or gaming.
The eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500 XT and eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5700 are the newest additions to Sonnet's popular series of portable all-in-one Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processing systems, some of which have been sold by the Apple Store in the past.
The two new models replace the now-discontinued eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 560 and Radeon RX 570 eGPUs, yet they retain the same form factor while delivering up to 300 percent more performance.
Each dock now includes two USB ports for connecting other devices and a second Thunderbolt 3 port to fully support Thunderbolt displays, including Apple's Pro Display XDR and the LG UltraFine 5K Display. Both eGPU Breakaway Puck models support up to three 4K, 60 Hz displays or one 6K and two 4K displays at the same time.
Sonnet says that its new eGPU docks are designed for professionals who need to run graphics-intensive applications on their Mac, with a focus on portability and external display connectivity, as well as quiet, reliable operation.
The eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500 XT and eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5700 are available now from Sonnet for $599.99 and $899.99.
Following the second phase, the report claims that the glasses will go through a third phase of development a few months later. Upon completion of the prototype design, the wearable device is expected to go through a 6-9 month period for engineering verification. Apple is said to be focused on improving the device's weight and battery life, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman having previously reported that the glasses will be lightweight.
Gurman claimed that Apple's glasses would overlay information such as text messages and maps in front of the wearer's eyes, and he also said that users will be able to control the glasses with Siri. His report said the glasses are unlikely to launch until 2023 at the earliest.
Apple has repeatedly referred to augmented reality as a "profound" technology. Apple is believed to be working on multiple AR/VR projects, including a headset with an App Store. In an internal meeting, Apple reportedly said the headset may be announced in 2021 and released in 2022, so it sounds like the headset will launch before the glasses.
We're tracking a few iPad Pro and iPad Air deals today, including up to $150 off the 2020 iPad Pro and up to $50 off the 2020 iPad Air. Prices on the iPad Pro start at $849.00 for the 256GB Wi-Fi model of the 11-inch iPad Pro, which is down from the original price of $899.00.
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In regards to the iPad Air, you can get the 64GB Wi-Fi model for $559.99, down from $599.00, but there will be shipping delays. Currently, Amazon is estimating the blue iPad Air to be in stock on January 22, but you can lock in the sale price today ahead of the shipping date.
For even more iPad deals, head to our full Best Deals guide for iPad. In that guide we track the best discounts online for iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro.
Apple is expected to release new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon in the second half of 2021, boosting Apple's market share of notebook CPUs to about 7%, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce.
TrendForce said that Intel faces increasing competitive pressure from both Apple and AMD in the CPU market and will need to deliver an "appropriate product strategy" in response. Last month, New York-based hedge fund Third Point urged Intel to take "immediate" action to restructure and curb the loss of talented chip designers.
Apple has today announced that New Year's Day saw a new single-day spending record of over $540 million on the App Store, as the company celebrated a number of highlights from its various services in 2020.
Recapping 2020, Apple announced that the year's most downloaded apps were Zoom and Disney+, and games on the App Store "became more popular than ever." Apple revealed that developers around the world have now earned more than $200 billion since the App Store was launched in 2008 from digital goods and services. Apple added that App Store customers spent $1.8 billion on digital goods and services over the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, driven largely by games.
2020 was also a "record year" for Apple Music. More than 90 percent of iOS 14 listeners have used new features such as "Listen Now" and "Autoplay," and engagement with Apple Music's real-time lyrics feature doubled last year.
Apple claims that the Apple TV app is now available on over one billion screens in over 100 countries and regions, aided by launches on launched on select LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
Apple teased its lineup for Apple TV+ in 2021, with second seasons of "Dickinson," "Servant," "For All Mankind," "The Morning Show," and "See," as well as brand new originals such as "Losing Alice," "Palmer," and "Cherry."
Other highlights include the fact that Apple Books saw "remarkable" growth of new customers in 2020 and now draws over 90 million active users every month. Apple Pay is now accepted by more than 90 percent of stores in the U.S., 85 percent of stores in the UK, and 99 percent of stores in Australia. The company also celebrated the success of the launch of Apple Fitness+ and featured the importance of delivering "curated world-class journalism" via Apple News.
WhatsApp's latest terms and privacy policy allows the popular messaging app to share a significant amount of user data with Facebook (via XDA Developers).
WhatsApp users are today receiving an in-app notice informing them about the app's updated terms of service and privacy policy. The notice gives an overview of the main three updates, covering how WhatsApp processes user data, how businesses can use Facebook-hosted services to store and manage their WhatsApp chats, and how WhatsApp will soon partner with Facebook to offer deeper integrations across all of the parent company's products.
The changes, which are set to take effect on February 8, 2021, are mandatory and users will not be able to continue using WhatsApp unless they accept the terms.
The new terms and privacy policy appear to build upon changes announced in July 2020, yet this previous update offered users the option to withhold their WhatsApp account information from being shared with Facebook. The latest update eliminates this option.
Users that agree to the updated terms will have their WhatsApp account registration and phone number, transaction data, service-related information, interaction information, mobile device information, IP address, and "other information identified... or obtained upon notice to you or based on your consent," shared with Facebook.
When explaining how Facebook will use this information, the policy states that shared data is used for "understanding how our services or theirs are used," "improving their services," "making suggestions for you," "personalizing features and content," and "showing relevant offers and ads across the Facebook Company Products."
The updated terms help WhatsApp to integrate more closely into Facebook's family of products, as it aims to provide a more coherent experience to users across services. While the changes help Facebook to achieve its larger goals, the high-level of data sharing that WhatsApp users will now be subject to may raise privacy concerns.
Last month, WhatsApp publicly protested Apple's requirement that developers submit information about what user data they collect for privacy labels on the App Store, saying that it could give its messaging app a competitive disadvantage.
Microsoft has started rolling out history and tab syncing features for its Edge browser, almost a year after the app's official release on Mac and Windows.
The new features enable users to sync all the web pages they've visited to every device on which they're signed into Edge, whether that's Mac, iOS, Windows, or Android.
The toggles for the two features in Settings -> Profiles -> Sync were previously greyed out, but users in the United Kingdom are starting to see them become accessible.
According to The Verge, the U.K. is one of the first markets to get the history and tab sync features, which will eventually come to more countries as the rollout expands.
Despite the lack of many sync features since its release, Microsoft Edge has won over many users with its frequent feature updates and tight integration of Microsoft's design language with the design language of macOS.
Samsung will be the exclusive supplier of LTPO OLED displays for the "Pro" models in Apple's iPhone 13 lineup later this year, according to TheElec.
Apple's rumored adoption of LTPO display technology would allow it to implement a 120Hz refresh rate on the higher end next-generation iPhones, as today's report notes:
Samsung Display will be the exclusive supplier used by Apple for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels used in the two highest tier models of its next iPhone, TheElec has learned.
Both models of iPhone 13 will use low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistors (TFT) OLED panels made by Samsung Display.
Apple's iPhone 13 will have four models and all of them will use OLED panels. The top two models will use LTPO OLED that can support 120Hz refresh rate.
A previous report pegged both LG and Samsung to supply the technology to Apple for the iPhone 13. According to the latest report, however, LG will focus on increasing its capacity this year in order to start supplying next year, with Apple planning to use LTPO OLED displays for "all its iPhone models" in 2022.
Other reports have suggested the technology will be coming to at least two iPhone models in 2021, while display analyst Ross Young expects the "most important development" on the iPhone 13 Pro models to be the adoption of 120Hz-capable ProMotion displays with variable refresh rates, something that has only appeared on the iPad Pro so far.
Multiple rumors ahead of the launch of the iPhone 12 lineup suggested the high-end iPhone 12 Pro models could feature 120Hz ProMotion displays, but later in the rumor cycle, it became clear that this feature was delayed until 2021 due to battery life concerns.
Using LTPO technology would allow Apple to deliver a much more power-efficient backplane, which is responsible for turning individual pixels on and off on the display. Depending on how Apple decides to take things, the technology could pave the way for longer battery life or always-on display elements.
Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6 models already use LTPO displays, which enables them to have the same up-to-18-hour battery life as earlier Apple Watch models despite having an always-on display.
Microsoft says it is shutting down augmented reality game "Minecraft Earth" in June 2021 due to the restricted movement and lack of social mingling brought about by the global health crisis.
First demoed at WWDC 2019 before launching in November the same year, "Minecraft Earth" gained plaudits for its use of AR to superimpose the game's collaborative creations onto the real world.
On Tuesday, however, Microsoft announced on its blog that the game will be discontinued on June 30 as the company re-allocates its resources "to other areas that provide value to the Minecraft community," given the present global situation.
Minecraft Earth was designed around free movement and collaborative play – two things that have become near impossible in the current global situation. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to re-allocate our resources to other areas that provide value to the Minecraft community and to end support for Minecraft Earth in June 2021.
Despite the decision, Microsoft released one final update to "Minecraft Earth" on Tuesday that includes changes and improvements to make players' remaining time in the game "as fun as possible." Amongst other things, the update removes real-money transactions, reduces ruby costs and time requirements for crafting and smelting, and grants a set of character creator items to players who sign in between now and June 30.
In addition, players with paid ruby balances will be granted Minecoins, which can be used on the Minecraft Marketplace to purchase skin and texture packs, maps, and minigames. Anyone who has ever made a purchase in "Minecraft Earth" will also receive a free copy of "Minecraft" (the Bedrock version), according to Microsoft.
Microsoft signed off the blog by thanking all the players and creators that contributed to the "Minecraft Earth" community during its lifespan:
Your feedback and creations brought this game to an entirely different level, from the regular build challenges you absolutely smashed to the incredible builds you shared on social media. We're eternally grateful for the amazing talent in the Minecraft community. This was not an easy decision, and we're doing everything we can to make sure you get the most out of Minecraft Earth before it sunsets.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps, including WeChat Pay and AliPay (via Reuters).
The order prohibits all U.S. transactions with the companies behind the apps, the full list of which includes Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office.
The order tasks the Commerce Department with defining which transactions will be banned under the directive within 45 days, but a U.S. official told Reuters that the Commerce Department plans to act before January 20, when Trump leaves office.
"By accessing personal electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, Chinese connected software applications can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information," the executive order states.
Such data collection "would permit China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, and build dossiers of personal information," the document adds.
The named apps are extremely popular with Chinese mobile device users, and if the order was successful, the bans would be a significant blow to Chinese Americans who use apps like WeChat to communicate.
The new orders are in addition to two earlier ones signed by Trump in August that attempted to ban transactions with WeChat and TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. The first order was blocked by a judge in September and then again in October, while a preliminary injunction granted by another judge in December prevented the TikTok ban from going ahead.
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While the App Store launched on the iPhone in July 2008, the Mac App Store did not become available until January 6, 2011, when Apple released Mac OS X Snow Leopard version 10.6.6. Accordingly, today marks the 10th anniversary of the Mac App Store.
Apple announced that the Mac App Store was "open for business" in a press release timed with the launch. "With more than 1,000 apps, the Mac App Store is off to a great start," said Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and former CEO. "We think users are going to love this innovative new way to discover and buy their favorite apps."
All apps submitted to the Mac App Store are reviewed by Apple, and must be sandboxed, a security mechanism that helps protect user data from unauthorized access by apps. Developers can choose to distribute their software directly on the internet, without sandboxing, but all Mac apps must be notarized by Apple in order to run by default on macOS Catalina and later to ensure these apps are free of known malware.
In line with the App Store on other platforms, Apple collects a 30 percent commission from developers on the sale of paid Mac apps and in-app purchases tied to digital goods and services. However, Apple recently introduced a Small Business Program that reduces the App Store's commission rate to 15% for developers earning up to $1 million per calendar year in net revenue. Developers must enroll in the program to participate.
Since its inception, the Mac App Store has attracted its fair share of criticism from developers. Apple has addressed some of these complaints over the years by allowing developers to offer free trials via in-app purchase, create app bundles, distribute apps on multiple Apple platforms as a universal purchase, view analytics for Mac apps, respond to customer reviews, and more, but some developers remain unsatisfied with the Mac App Store due to Apple's review process, the lack of upgrade pricing, the lack of sandboxing exceptions for trusted developers, the absence of TestFlight beta testing for Mac apps, and other reasons.
In 2018, the Mac App Store received a major redesign as part of macOS Mojave, complete with a new "Discover" tab that highlights popular apps and games and features editorials from Apple. Apple also softened its rules surrounding sandboxing. Soon after these changes, Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom became available on the Mac App Store, and some popular apps like BBEdit and Transmit returned to the Mac App Store.
In 2019, with the release of macOS Catalina and Xcode 11, Apple made it possible for developers to easily create a Mac version of an iPad app. In most cases, adding macOS support to an iPad app is as simple as opening an Xcode project and clicking the Mac checkbox under General > Deployment Info, although some developers faced issues.
2019 also marked the launch of Apple Arcade, which has its own tab in the Mac App Store for discovering all of the games available as part of the subscription service.
Another advancement to the Mac App Store came in 2020, when Apple made iPhone and iPad apps available on Macs with Apple silicon, given that the M1 chip in Macs shares the same Arm architecture as A-series chips in iPhones and iPads. Developers can opt out of distributing their iPhone and iPad apps on the Mac App Store if they desire.
All in all, Apple has certainly made progress with the Mac App Store over the last 10 years, but some developers feel that further improvements are necessary if they are to embrace the storefront. The next decade of the Mac App Store begins now.
Earlier today, Fast Company shared an article noting that Google has yet to update its iPhone and iPad apps to bring them in line with Apple's new App Store privacy labels requirement. Fast Company speculated that Google might be trying to delay revealing its privacy label data, but it turns out that's not the case.
According to a report from TechCrunch, Google is not taking a stand against Apple's privacy labels and is in fact planning to add the privacy data to its iOS app catalog as soon as this week or next week.
Apple implemented App Privacy information in iOS 14.3, after promising the feature when iOS 14 was first announced. App Privacy labels provide customers with a way to determine what data an app collects about them before choosing to install it.
Apple is requiring all apps to self-report privacy information in the App Store, and developers must identify all data collection and use cases. Labels are separated into categories including data used to track you, data linked to you, and data not linked to you, which indicates that it is anonymized.
There has been some negativity associated with App Privacy as Facebook was called out for having a lengthy label due to the amount of data it collects, and it's quite possible Google will have similar privacy labels.
As of December 8, all app updates submitted must include the privacy label information, and most Google apps designed for iOS devices have not seen updates since before December 7. It is not clear why Google has delayed updating its iOS apps when it has updated Android apps, but it could be due to the holiday period. Google implements a code freeze from late December to early January, which TechCrunch suggests could be the reason behind the lack of iOS updates.
Razer in November released the Razer Book 13, a new portable laptop focused on productivity rather than gaming. Since it is similar in many ways to the M1 Macs that Apple also launched in November, we thought we'd compare the Razer Book 13 to the M1 MacBook Pro.
As the name suggests, the Razer Book 13 is a 13.4-inch laptop featuring slim bezels and a 60Hz matte display. It's similar in size to the 13.3-inch M1 MacBook Pro, but it is a bit smaller because of the reduced bezel size.
Design wise, the Razer Book 13 has a bit of an edge over the 13-inch MacBook Pro thanks to the Razer's thin side bezels. There's a thicker bezel at the top to house a camera, but the bezel size still beats out the MacBook Pro. Rumors do suggest Apple is working on a new 14.1-inch MacBook Pro that could perhaps have a slimmer bezel design, but for now, the Razer wins out.
The display is noticeably different from the display of the MacBook Pro because the Razer Book uses a matte finish, which can be nice in situations where there's a lot of glare. The MacBook Pro's glossy display looks fantastic, of course, but it can suffer in bright sun.
Both machines have similar keyboard designs with about the same key travel, but there are some differences here. The MacBook Pro has a Touch Bar, which some people have never grown accustomed to, while the Razer Book has RBG key lighting that can be a distraction for some.
The MacBook Pro has speaker grilles on each side of the keyboard, a haptic glass trackpad that is nicer to use than the physical trackpad on the Razer Book, and better thermal management. The M1 MacBook Pro's fans rarely come on thanks to the efficiency of the M1 chip, but the Razer fans spin up almost as soon as it's doing anything intensive. Even running the Microsoft Edge browser on battery caused the Razer Book's fans to activate.
The Razer Book's fans are on the bottom of the machine, so when using this in a lap, there's a potential for the airflow to be blocked. The MacBook Pro doesn't have fans located at the bottom so it's better for in-lap use, with warm air venting out from the hinge area.
Ports are one area where the Razer Book 13 may have an advantage for some users. It features two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a microSD slot. The MacBook Pro, meanwhile, has two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack.
When it comes to performance, the M1 chip wins out over the 11th-generation Intel chips that Razer is using. In a Geekbench test, the M1 MacBook Pro scored 1734 in single-core performance and 7531 in multi-core performance. The Razer Book earned a single-core score of 1355 and a multi-core score of 5290. As for OpenCL, the M1 MacBook Pro scored 19412, and the Razer scored 14761.
The Razer Book's performance here isn't bad by any means and these are both highly capable machines that are going to excel at day to day tasks, but the M1 MacBook Pro is better at more intensive tasks like video or photo editing.
Apple's MacBook Pro also has better battery life. Apple says that it gets up to 20 hours, and while we haven't quite seen it hit that maximum (which is for watching videos), it's outlasted the Razer Book. The Razer Book can last for up to nine hours.
The base model Razer Book with 256GB storage, 8GB RAM, and the aforementioned 11th-generation Core i5 Intel chip, and Intel Iris Xe graphics is priced at $1200, so it's $100 cheaper than the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro that also comes with 256GB storage and 8GB RAM.
Most notably, the M1 MacBook Pro runs macOS Big Sur and the Razer Book 13 runs Windows, and ecosystem is probably the biggest consideration when choosing between these machines. Those who are deep in Apple's ecosystem will get more use out of the M1 MacBook Pro, while those who rely on Windows software would prefer the Razer Book 13.
All in all, though, these are similar machines and while the M1 MacBook Pro wins out in terms of performance and efficiency, the Razer Book 13 is a capable laptop for those who need or prefer the Windows operating system.
Apple today updated its investor relations page to announce that earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2021 (fourth calendar quarter) will be shared on Wednesday, January 27.
The first quarter earnings call will likely provide some insight into the sales of the iPhone 12 models, which were released in October, along with the M1 Macs that came out in November. Because the new iPhones were delayed, initial iPhone sales did not factor into the fourth quarter revenue results.
Apple did not provide guidance for the first quarter of 2021 during its fourth quarter earnings call because of the uncertainty caused by the ongoing global health crisis that continues to affect Apple's product launch timelines and sales. Many Apple stores worldwide are once again closed at the current time.
In the fourth fiscal quarter of 2020, Apple posted revenue of $64.7 billion, setting a new record for September quarter revenue. For the full fiscal year, Apple generated $274.5 billion in sales with $57.4 billion in net income, surpassing its 2019 earnings.
The first quarter of 2020 saw Apple announcing its best ever quarter in terms of revenue and profit, with Apple bringing in $91.8 billion in revenue and net quarterly profit of $22.2 billion.
The quarterly earnings statement will be released at 1:30 PM Pacific/4:30 PM Eastern, with a conference call to discuss the report taking place at 2:00 PM Pacific/5:00 PM Eastern. MacRumors will provide coverage of both the earnings release and conference call on January 27.
Apple CEO Tim Cook earned more than $14 million in salary in 2020 according to the 2020 proxy statement that Apple filed with the SEC this afternoon.
Cook earned a base salary of $3,000,000 in addition to $10,731,000 in incentives awarded for performance. Apple's performance exceeded the target performance goals for net sales and operating income, leading to a total payout of 179 percent of the total payout opportunity for Cook and other Apple executives.
Cook also received $1,038,259 in "other compensation" for a total of $14,769,259. This includes $17,100 in 401(k) contributions, term life insurance payments, a $115,385 vacation cash out, security expenses in the amount of $470,246, and $432,564 in personal air travel expenses. Apple requires Cook to use a private airplane for security reasons.
In 2019, Cook earned $11.5 million, receiving less under Apple's incentive plan compensation. Cook's 2020 compensation package does not include stock benefits. Cook in September received restricted stock units worth more than $100 million to ensure that he remains Apple's CEO through 2025. Cook also sold $131.7 million in Apple stock in August 2020.
Over the course of 2020, Cook's net worth climbed to over $1 billion, according to calculations from Bloomberg.
Other Apple executives, including Luca Maestri, Kate Adams, Deidre O'Brien, and Jeff Williams received over $26 million each.
Apple's annual shareholders meeting is set to take place on February 23, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Apple said today in an SEC filing. Shareholders meetings are normally held in person at Apple Park, but this year's meeting will take place virtually and will be open to a greater number of shareholders because there are no space restrictions.
Those who want to attend, vote, and submit questions during the annual meeting can visit the shareholders website and enter a 16-digit code included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials provided to shareholders. Apple says that online access will open approximately 15 minutes before the start of the meeting, but questions can be submitted in advance through February 22 at 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Apple says that even those who are attending the meeting should vote in advance online, by mail, or by phone. Items of business will include re-electing the Board of Directors, ratifying Ernst & Young LLP as Apple's public accounting firm, and voting on shareholder proposals.
Shareholder meetings are not typically interesting to the general public because Apple executives don't often share details about Apple products, but in the past, there have been limited comments on Apple services and software.
Verizon does not plan to shut down its 3G network in the near future, a Verizon spokesperson told Light Reading this week (via The Verge). "Our 3G network is operational and we don't have a plan to shut it down at this time," said the spokesperson, who also added that Verizon will "work with customers to move them to newer technology."
Verizon's decision to leave its 3G network functional is a deviation from plans that have been in the works for years. In 2012 after launching 4G technology, Verizon said that it would eventually discontinue 3G service.
In 2016, Verizon said that it would shut down its 3G network on December 31, 2019, and it stopped activating 3G phones in July 2018. Though promising to end 3G connectivity in 2019, Verizon ultimately delayed until the end of 2020 to give impacted customers more time to figure out their plans, but now it seems Verizon will continue to make its 3G network available alongside its 4G and 5G networks.
It's not clear why Verizon has opted not to shut down its 3G network, but Light Reading speculates that it could still have a significant number of customers using the 3G technology. Many Internet of Things devices rely on 3G connectivity, such as in-car connected safety features.
Verizon competitor AT&T plans to shut down its 3G network in early 2022 to bring customers "faster speeds and new features." T-Mobile told Light Reading that it plans to shut down 3G over the "next several years" but timing has not yet been shared. T-Mobile will, however, begin requiring phones on its network to support VoLTE by January 31, 2021, which will make some devices incompatible with the T-Mobile network going forward.
Apple's 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, which is the smallest iPhone that has been released since the 2016 iPhone SE, may not be selling as well as Apple hoped. According to new sales numbers from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the iPhone 12 mini accounted for a lower number of sales than other iPhone 12 models that Apple offers.
Combined, all new iPhone 12 models accounted for 76 percent of iPhone sales in the United States in October and November. The standard iPhone 12 was the best selling model, accounting for 27 percent of those sales.
iPhone 12 mini sales made up just six percent of the total iPhone 12 sales during the launch period, while the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max had sales numbers closer to the iPhone 12.
iPhone 12 models garnered a significant share at launch, but with mixed results, as iPhone 12 mini seems to have been lost among the other models," said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. "Apple not only launched a wider range of new models than ever before, and also divided that launch into two pairs of models, so comparison to earlier launches is tricky. In addition, Apple launched a new iPhone SE earlier in the year, further complicating the lineup.
Last year's iPhone 11 models accounted for 69 percent of sales in the period after their launch, so the iPhone 12 models did better overall. In 2019, the iPhone 11 was the best-selling iPhone, accounting for 39 percent of sales, with the 11 Pro and Pro Max making up the remaining 30 percent.
Compared to last year's launch of iPhone 11, which accounted for 69% of sales in the period after the launch, the four iPhone 12 models did even better, with 76% of sales. However, there was no clear leader among the new models, with sales evenly distributed among iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Max. In contrast, in 2019, iPhone 11 had an incredible 39% of sales, with iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max combining for only 30% of sales.
CIRP speculates that the availability of lower-cost models like the $399 iPhone SE, $499 iPhone XR, and $599 iPhone 11, may have ultimately limited the appeal of the more expensive iPhone 12 mini, which is priced at $699.
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