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Apple’s iPhone 5 is a hit. The smartphone, which Apple will start shipping on Sept. 21, set a new preorder record on Sept. 14 with buyers snapping up more than 2 million units sold in just 24 hours of availability. The preorders easily surpassed the old record of more than 1 million iPhone 4S units that were preordered in the first day of availability a year ago.
With a new record under its belt, speculation abounds over what made the iPhone 5 so popular. Some say the features were enough to get consumers excited. Others say that simply because Apple offered up the handset, customers flocked to the device. Whatever the case, Apple’s iPhone 5 is wildly popular. By the look of things, it’ll offer up some solid results for the iPhone maker when its financials for the third quarter come out next month.
But the iPhone 5’s initial sales success is worth a deeper look. There are multiple reasons why demand for the new smartphone quickly surged after its introduction on Sept. 12. It’s just too easy to say that it has to do with the device’s bigger display or Apple’s brand.
Let’s take a look at the many reasons why so many people are deciding to buy the iPhone 5 as Apple ships them.
1. The 4G LTE
Apple’s 4G LTE integration in the iPhone 5 could be the biggest advancement the smartphones offers. Previously, Apple only delivered 3G service to the iPhone. Now, with 4G LTE support, users will have much faster connection speeds. On AT&T’s network, they’ll also be able to bridge the gap between 3G and 4G LTE with HSPA+ whenever the faster connection isn’t available.
2. iPhone 4S boredom
Apple’s iPhone 4S was a bit of a bore. Yes, that device set the previous Apple preorder record. But don’t forget that it did so because more carriers offered the iPhone 4S on launch day. The iPhone 4S was a catch-up device. So, many ignored the iPhone 4S and chose to hold out for the iPhone 5.
3. Better performance is exciting
The iPhone 5 ships with the company’s A6 processor. Benchmarks that have leaked onto the Web show that the chip can perform some tasks four times faster than the A5. In other tasks, the jump is double. Either way, the better performance is enough to get power users excited and ready to pounce on preorders.
4. The new design is impressive
Apple’s iPhone 5 design is not a major update over the iPhone 4S, but it’s an impressive one, nonetheless. As the smartphone industry has shown time and again, design is extremely important to consumers. And in the case of the iPhone 5, it might have been a key reason so many people rushed to preorder the handset.
The Power of Peer Pressure
5. Peer pressure sells iPhones and always has
Peer pressure could be one of the best iPhone sellers yet. The fact is, high school and college studentsâtypically the most impressionable sector of the consumer marketâare chomping at the bit to get the iPhone 5. In no time, the iPhone has become the “cool” device that everyone needs to have. The sooner those kids have it, the sooner they can impress others. It might sound rather obvious, but students are a driving force behind the iPhone’s success. And to discount the power of peer pressure would be a mistake.
6. The hype was massive
With help from its legion of fans, Apple put its hype machine on overdrive for the iPhone 5. The company waited until after the summer to announce the handset. At a Sept. 12 media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Apple had the iPhone 5 rise up dramatically from under the stage. Afterwards, it displayed the device in dazzling fashion to satisfy the journalists who jostled to get a clear shot of the smartphone. In short the event played out in Apple’s usually brash manner, which no doubt helped feed buyers’ readiness to file their preorders.
7. Apple’s scheduling was spot-on
Apple made the smart move to announce its handset on Sept. 12, and then offer up the preorders just two days later. By doing so, Apple gave customers ample time to determine both if they were eligible for the device and if they should buy it. Other companies tend to offer preorders on the same day products are announced. It’s a mistake. And Apple has once again proven that.
8. The camera is a big factor
Apple’s decision to build an 8-megapixel camera into the iPhone 5 was a smart one. The cameras in the iPhone line have become the most widely used, based on Flickr uploads. It’s likely customers were getting tired of the sub-par lenses in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The 8-megapixel camera in the iPhone 5 fixes any customer dissatisfaction with the earlier cameras and that can only feed the buying frenzy.
9. Apple has impressed with the display
For far too long, Apple was forcing iPhone owners to get by with the 3.5-inch screen, when many Android handsets delivered much larger displays. In the iPhone 5, however, Apple’s screen comes in at 4 inches, allowing for five rows of icons and the ability to see a whole week in Calendar. Better yet, Apple says that the screen will come with better color saturation, thanks to the elimination of one screen layer. You can bet all of that has attracted more customers to the iPhone 5.
10. A lot of legacy customers pounced
By offering up what was basically the same design in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, Apple discouraged many customers from upgrading their new handsets last year. After all, what good is a device that’s basically the same thing offered in the prior year, but with a few enhancements? The iPhone 5, however has some attractive new features. As a result, current iPhone owners, perhaps getting bored with the earlier models, decided now is the time to go with the latest and greatest Apple handset.
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