Local telecom carriers yesterday saw muted launches of Apple Inc’s iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus as consumers opted to wait for the arrival of the iPhone X, which offers a greater upgrade in specifications.
No major telecoms in Taiwan said they expect a supply crunch this year, which has been unusual in iPhone launch years since its debut in 2007.
“The line is shorter this year [compared with that for the iPhone 7 series], but we are satisfied with today’s launch, since Apple’s new iPhone series will come on two separate days this time,” Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) chief executive of mobile services Tu Yuan-kuang (涂元光) told reporters.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Chunghwa Telecom added that subscribers would receive their phones faster this year, as the company has obtained a sufficient supply, Tu said.
Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信), the nation’s No. 3 telecom, expects the combined sales of all the new iPhones to hit a record high, even though anticipation for the iPhone X would likely dampen initial sales of the iPhone 8 series.
“The upcoming iPhone X seems to have lowered consumers’ excitement for the iPhone 8, but this will be its first major replacement cycle after three years. Half of iPhone fans are still waiting for the arrival of the iPhone X,” Far EasTone chief sales and marketing officer Maxwell Cheng (鄭智衡) said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Cheng’s optimism was built on Far EasTone’s large number of iPhone users: About 1.3 million of the firm’s subscribers use iPhones, 30 percent of whom use the iPhone 6 series, which hit the market two years ago.
Those iPhone 6 users are the potential buyers of the new models, Cheng said.
Taiwan Mobile Corp (台灣大哥大), the nation’s No. 2 telecom, expects the iPhone 8 family to register a higher sales volume than its predecessor on the back of replacement demand, chief business officer Jeff Ku (谷元宏) said.
Taiwan Mobile is expected to sell 20,000 units from the iPhone 8 series during the first weekend, Ku said.
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