China iPhone 12 Shipments 12 Percent Down on iPhone X

Current iPhone shipments in China are 12 percent down on the iPhone X series, according to a research note from Goldman Sachs seen by AppleInsider. It casts some doubt on the idea that we are in the midst of a so-called ‘super-cycle’.

Analyst Rod Hall analyzes the latest China smartphone shipment data for the month of May, which was recently released by the state-run China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). Total handset units during the period clocked in at 23 million units, down 32% year-over-year. Hall points out that this appears to be the lowest shipment numbers for China since at least May 2014. Hall also says that re-opening “seems to have pulled demand forward quite a bit out of April and May,” but that the impact appears to have been short-lived. He suggests that China’s re-opening story could be a blueprint for how other countries fare when they re-open.

Apple Customer Satisfaction Scores 81 on ACSI Survey

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) recently did an Apple customer satisfaction survey in which the company scored 81 out of 100. Other companies were included as well.

Following a 1% jump, Samsung moves into a first-place tie with Apple at 81 despite smartphone sales dropping for both companies…Apple’s iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone SE all score 83…Customer experience shows little improvement over the last year. Cell phones are generally easy to use, with text messaging earning the top score at 85. Despite being the only area to improve year over year, battery life (78) finishes last among customer experience benchmarks.

iPhone X Shipments Continue to Dominate

Was there ever any doubt? Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has been maintaining all along, since it shipped, that the iPhone X is the best selling iPhone. But it’s also killing the competition as well. Business insider reports: “Thanks to the iPhone X and the iPhone 8, recent estimates show that Apple once again holds the top two spots for the most-shipped smartphone models in the world, debunking reports that demand for the iPhone X was lacking.” And here are the numbers. Oh, and by the way, the iPhone 8 was #2 for 1Q 2018.  Not bad.