The lower adoption of the iPhone 6s compared to the iPhone 6 highlights a few interesting trends in consumer behavior and the smartphone market dynamics. Here’s what this might mean:
- Incremental Upgrades Aren’t as Compelling: The iPhone 6 brought a new design and was the first iPhone with a larger screen, which appealed to users waiting for something significantly different. The iPhone 6s, on the other hand, focused on internal improvements (like the faster A9 chip and the introduction of 3D Touch), which may not have seemed as compelling to many iPhone 6 users.
- Longer Upgrade Cycles: By the time of the 6s release, iPhones were already high-performing devices. Many users felt they didn’t need to upgrade every year or even every two years, stretching their usage periods and only considering new phones when there was a substantial improvement.
- Growing Competition: The smartphone market became more competitive as other brands started releasing high-quality phones with similar or even more advanced features. This made some users more inclined to explore alternatives or stay with their existing devices longer.
- Saturation of the Market: By the time the iPhone 6s was released, a lot of people already owned a smartphone. The explosive growth of smartphone adoption had slowed, and the new market for first-time buyers was shrinking.
In short, the slower adoption of the iPhone 6s was less about the device itself and more about shifts in consumer expectations, technology maturity, and market saturation. It was a sign that Apple and other smartphone manufacturers needed to focus more on innovation, quality improvements, and new features to persuade users to upgrade regularly.