iPhone 7 And iPhone 7 Plus Launch Weekend Sales Lower By 25 Percent

iPhone 7 And iPhone 7 Plus Launch Weekend Sales Lower By 25 Percent

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch weekend sales were 25 percent lower than their predecessors, reports a German research firm. However, the orders for components of the new iPhones beat suppliers' estimation. 

The weekend sales of the newly launched iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus were lower than launch weekend sales of iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus.

Apple launched its new-generation iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in early September and both devices hit the shelves on Sept. 16. The new iPhones are packed with better features than their predecessors. An improved chip, new color options, better camera capabilities and new software features of the novel iPhones have attracted millions of iFans across the world.
A previous Tech Times report highlighted that Apple raised the order quantities of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus components in anticipation of high sales. The report said the iPhone maker ordered between 72 million and 78 million new iPhones for 2016, and the figure was 20 percent more than analysts' estimation.

Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known Apple analyst at KGI Securities, also predicted high sale volume for the new iPhones.
However, according to Germany's market research institute GfK, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus's launch weekend sales have not been great. By analyzing Apple's sales channels, GfK found that Apple's new iPhone sales were 25 percent lower year-over-year.
This is not the first instance a GfK's report has rocked Apple. In 2015, the market research firm also reported that iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus turnover was not as impressive as claimed by the company.
It is worth noting that Apple has not officially revealed the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus's first weekend sales figure.
A report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes cites sources familiar with Apple's manufacturing partners and suggests that Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus chip orders for the first quarter of 2017 are likely to fall 20 percent less than the chips ordered in the same period of 2016.

The weekend sales of the newly launched iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus were lower than launch weekend sales of iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus.
Apple launched its new-generation iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in early September and both devices hit the shelves on Sept. 16. The new iPhones are packed with better features than their predecessors. An improved chip, new color options, better camera capabilities and new software features of the novel iPhones have attracted millions of iFans across the world.
A previous Tech Times report highlighted that Apple raised the order quantities of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus components in anticipation of high sales. The report said the iPhone maker ordered between 72 million and 78 million new iPhones for 2016, and the figure was 20 percent more than analysts' estimation.
Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known Apple analyst at KGI Securities, also predicted high sale volume for the new iPhones.
However, according to Germany's market research institute GfK, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus's launch weekend sales have not been great. By analyzing Apple's sales channels, GfK found that Apple's new iPhone sales were 25 percent lower year-over-year.
This is not the first instance a GfK's report has rocked Apple. In 2015, the market research firm also reported that iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus turnover was not as impressive as claimed by the company.
It is worth noting that Apple has not officially revealed the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus's first weekend sales figure.
A report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes cites sources familiar with Apple's manufacturing partners and suggests that Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus chip orders for the first quarter of 2017 are likely to fall 20 percent less than the chips ordered in the same period of 2016.
"Apple has requested its manufacturing partners stock ICs for a combined 50 million iPhone 7/7 Plus units in the third quarter of 2016, and another 45 million units in the fourth quarter, according to sources at analog chip firms. The estimated volume for the first quarter of 2017 has reduced to 35-37 million units, said the sources," reports DigiTimes.
Although this year's iPhone launch weekend sales have been reported as lower than last year, Apple is said to be pushing its iPhone component makers to make 100 million units of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016. Apple suppliers were estimating to get orders for about 80 to 85 million units.
It has just been about a week since the official release of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Even though launch weekend sales are low, holiday sales could be higher for the two new offerings from Apple.





source: techtimes

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 users’ phones are blowing up, literally

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was supposed to be the next jewel in the South Korean company's line of Android smartphones, touted for its bigger battery that could power the phone for an impressive nine hours.

The entire phone was, as the company advertised, "designed to be a key that opens the door to new experiences on the go."

Since its Aug. 19 release, the Note 7 has indeed become known for all of the above, though probably not in the way Samsung had hoped.

On Thursday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of the new Samsung phones, saying that defective Note 7 batteries had been linked to "26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage, including fires in cars and a garage."

The recall followed numerous recent reports, including one last Tuesday, when Port St. Lucie police officers responded to a report of a car on fire in a residential neighborhood in the southern Florida beach city. They found a vehicle "fully engulfed in flames."

The driver, who was unharmed, told police he had been charging his Samsung 7 phone when it burst into flames.

"[The] suggestion that the phone caused the fire has not been confirmed at this time as The Fire Marshall is continuing their investigation into the cause of the fire," the Port St. Lucie Police Department said in a statement.

In what is believed to be the first lawsuit related to the phone, a Florida man filed a claim against Samsung last Friday, alleging that his Galaxy Note 7 exploded and caused him severe burns on his right thigh and left thumb, Reuters reported.

In the lawsuit, Jonathan Strobel claimed that his Note 7 exploded in his front pants pocket while he was at a Costco on Sept. 9. The explosion was intense enough to burn through his pants and also severely burn his left thumb when he reached in to try to remove the phone, Reuters reported.

"He has a deep second-degree burn, roughly the size of the phone, on his right thigh," Strobel's attorney, Keith Pierro, told Reuters.

Such reports have continued to plague Samsung, which first issued a voluntary recall of its Galaxy Note 7 phones because of a "battery issue" on Sept. 2, offering to give replacement phones to customers who had bought the devices. The lithium-ion batteries in the phones could overheat and pose a safety risk, the company said after it had received a few dozen reports of Note 7 batteries catching on fire.

"To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market," the company said in a statement. "However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7."

According to the mobile analytics firm Apteligent, most owners of the phone were still using it almost two weeks after Samsung's voluntary recall began, although new sales had dropped off, The Washington Post reported Friday.

On Thursday, U.S. safety regulators ordered a nationwide recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and Samsung updated its recall with increased urgency.

"Since the affected devices can overheat and pose a safety risk, if you own a Galaxy Note7, it is extremely important to stop using your device, power it down and immediately exchange it using our U.S. Note7 Exchange Program," the company said in another statement.

Issues with the Note 7 battery have become so widely known that they have been singled out in some airline boarding announcements.

Before Delta Flight 2557 took off from Norfolk to Atlanta early Friday morning, flight attendants advised passengers to place their phones in airplane mode. Those who had the Galaxy Note 7s, however, were advised to power them down completely.

"They made a specific point to mention that phone, and I thought that was really interesting," Robyn Sidersky, a passenger on the flight, told The Post. "I did know the issues going on, so it made sense."

Shortly after takeoff, Sidersky, who was sitting in row 35, said she heard a person screaming "Fire!" and saw smoke emanating from across the aisle in row 34. Soon, flight attendants evacuated about 20 passengers seated around the row and then used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames.

"It was really scary," said Sidersky, a reporter with the Virginian-Pilot. "I think that some people's first thought when there was smoke was [the engines] were on fire."

About 20 minutes later, passengers were told that the culprit was a spare lithium-ion battery apparently wedged between the window and middle seats, she said.

The airline confirmed that the incident took place on board its flight Friday.

"During ascent from Norfolk International Airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, the flight attendants of Delta flight 2557 observed smoke in the rear portion of the aircraft. They acted quickly to immediately dissipate the smoke," Delta spokesman Brian Kruse said in a statement. "It quickly became evident that the source of the smoke was from a spare battery not affixed to a device."

Kruse said the battery "did not appear" to be one from the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 but said the source and type of battery involved were being investigated.

The flight, with 143 passengers and five crew members on board, landed safely in Atlanta, Kruse said. As a goodwill gesture, Delta gave passengers aboard the flight 15,000 frequent-flier miles or a $150 travel voucher.

No one on board ever claimed the battery, Sidersky said.

"It’s unclear if it was someone who was on the plane or if it was just left between the seats," she said. "People were kind of angry about that."

One request was clear after the onboard battery fire, though: Flight attendants immediately asked all passengers to power down their phones, regardless of whether it was a Samsung or not. From what Sidersky could observe, everyone complied.

"Everybody around us was like, man, turn your phone off," she said.





source: washingtonpost

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Apple iPhone 7 Plus Has A Great Secret Feature

When Apple AAPL -2.23% launched the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 this week it proved yet again that keeping a secret in the tech world is almost impossible these days. The new models had almost no surprises, except one…

‘Great Features’ and ‘Nasty Surprises’ are my regular columns investigating operating system updates for the best features / biggest problems hidden behind the headlines.

Throughout the Apple keynote, company executives always referred to the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus as a pair. We were told they share the same design, software, main camera (excluding the iPhone 7 Plus second telephoto lens) and performance. But it appears this last claim isn’t true.

Apple’s new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are likely to be the biggest selling smartphones of 2016. Image credit: Apple

Tried and trusted smartphone benchmarking software Geekbench has recorded what looks to be a legitimate test of the iPhone 7 Plus which reveals it has 3GB of RAM – 50% more than the iPhone 7. And this should give the larger handset a significant performance advantage over its smaller stablemate.

It also ties in with widespread speculation before the launch event that Apple would give the iPhone 7 Plus additional RAM. But hopes of this appeared to be dashed when Apple’s presentation implied no performance difference between the two models existed. With hindsight this may have been to avoid presenting the iPhone 7 as a downgraded handset, given it also lacks the dual rear camera of the iPhone 7 Plus.

So how likely is this to be correct? I suspect very. Geekbench automatically detects the model of phone when a test is run on it and it shows the correct ‘iPhone 9,4’ signature. Why 9,4? Because iPhone 9,1, 9,2 and 9,3 are the three storage tiers of the iPhone 7, implying it was a 32GB iPhone 7 Plus that was tested on Geekbench.

One note of caution for those now planning to scrap their iPhone 7 pre-orders and buy an iPhone 7 Plus: the performance gap between the two phones may not turn out to be as big as it might appear.

The reason for this is the iPhone 7 Plus has a much higher resolution display (1080p) than the iPhone 7 (750p) so it has to drive almost twice the number of pixels. The iPhone 7 Plus will also require more power to process its dual camera photos than the single rear camera on the iPhone 7, so performance there won’t be drastically faster either.

That said, the Geekbench scores still show the iPhone 7 Plus as the fastest iOS device Apple has ever made – even beaten the iPad Pro 12.9-inch which has 4GB RAM. So if it is office bragging rights you want, then iPhone 7 Plus is what you should buy…





source: forbes