LOS ANGELES — Apple has sold a record-setting 180 million iPhones since September 2014. Can they do it again with the new iPhones being announced Wednesday?
The new, larger screen iPhones helped the company sell 36% more units during the iPhone 6 cycle than for the 5S and 5C models, which added fingerprint sensors to access the phones.
Apple redesigns the iPhone every two years, and in off-years, of which 2015 is one, adds new features to entice customers. This year it’s an improved camera and “Force Touch,” a series of shortcuts meant to streamline the user experience.
Those features aren’t enough for an 36% encore, says Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, who expects a modest 4% rise in sales.
Each new iPhone model has outsold the previous one, even if most of the excitement for the new iPhone is for the re-designed models.