Apple have always enjoyed a huge amount of success with their iPhone range of smartphones and recent figures show that the final quarter of 2012 were more successful than ever for the company. Analysts are predicting that achieving such high levels of sales in the future could be a struggle given the changing face of the smartphone market and that changes are needed on the iPhone 5S to ensure that the model is a hit with consumers.
During the final quarter of 2012 Apple enjoyed their highest ever sales for any three month period by shifting a massive 47.8 million phones. A shift in power is starting to emerge in the smartphone market however and industry analysts are stating that Apple’s tried and trusted business model is beginning to look dated. Over the past year we have seen a number of smartphones hit the market that fall into much cheaper price brackets than what premium models such as the iPhone normally attract. Manufacturers such as ZTE and Huawei are delivering phones that offer super specification and great performance, something that was traditionally lacking from cheaper end models. Apple’s new iPhone 5S will certainly fall into the premium price bracket but what can the manufacturers offer on this model to make it stand out from the new generation of low priced models that are available?
This shift in power in the smartphone market means that executives at Apple will have to rethink their own strategies if they want to continue to enjoy a high volume of sales. Apple will be wary however that introducing to much of a change on the new iPhone 5S could result in the model losing some of its iPhone appeal. On the other hand to little change could prove just as bad as consumer may start to doubt whether the company are moving forward. An obvious area where they can make a difference is with the screen size on the model. Devices like the Samsung Galaxy S3 are enjoying a huge level of success with large displays and it could mean that we see Apple make a massive jump to a similarly sized display on their forthcoming model. Other experts have suggested that the 5S could be launched in a series of different screen sizes although this seems unlikely given the production problems that this could potentially cause.
The iPhone 5S is one of the most eagerly awaited devices of 2013 but Apple will have to implement some big changes in order to deliver the more premium experience that consumers have come to expect from the brand
