New iPhone Models Only Popular With Indonesians on Launch Day: Study
Jakarta. Indonesians welcomed the launch of Apple's flagship iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X in September by searching for the prices of older versions of the smartphones on the internet, a recent report by online shopping startup iPrice Group shows.
The survey analyzed Google Trends data from Sept. 8 to 21 to gauge the level of interest by Indonesian consumers and found that the popularity of newer versions of the iPhone is short-lived because people in the archipelago are more interested in the prices of older versions.
According to the results of the study, made available to the Jakarta Globe on Monday (02/10), people in Jakarta, North Sulawesi, Aceh, South Sulawesi, South Sumatra and Riau Islands – or six of the country's 10 provinces with the highest minimum regional income – were more interested in searching for the terms "iPhone 6 price," instead of "iPhone 8 price" or "iPhone X price."
"This could happen because the price of the iPhone X is so high," iPrice said in a statement.
Apple charges at least $699 for the iPhone 8, $799 for the iPhone 8 Plus and $999 for the iPhone X in the United States, with prices likely to be even higher in the rest of the world.
"In Singapore, the price of an iPhone X is S$1,684, or equal to Rp 16.3 million [$1,200]. With this money, people in Indonesia can buy the new MacBook Pro at Rp 15 million, use it for business capital, or as a deposit on a new car," the statement said.
According to iPrice's observation, which spanned the week before until nine days after the launch, the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were only popular on the day of the launch.
Merely two days after the launch, searches for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X declined dramatically, while the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 started to feature more.
"This could happen because Indonesians who want to buy a new phone expect the price of the older iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 to drop," the statement said.
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