Apple has had some tough times recently. iPad sales have been down, Apple Watch didn't set the wearable industry on fire, stock prices have been dropping steadily - shares are at the lowest point they've been since August 2014 - and the Wall Street Journal has reported that the company is "scaling back" orders for iPhones, apparently due to lower sales.
According to the WSJ article, the decreased orders from Apple resulted in layoffs at Foxconn, Apple's China-based manufacturing partner, during the typically busy holiday season. Additionally, the article cites Japan's Nikkei newspaper, claiming that Apple is slashing manufacturing of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus by 30 percent compared to previous expectations.
The drop in expected sales is a far cry from the record-setting launch of Apple's latest smartphones back in September 2015, which saw the company sell more than 13 million units of iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in three days. It's possible that Apple's simply a victim of its own success, with most of its sales this time coming up front instead of spreading out over the following months. Or is the reported sales drop due to stiffer competition? Regardless of the cause, there's no indication at present that Apple is cutting forecasts for the expected release of iPhone 7 this fall.
As is typical, Apple declined to discuss its sales forecasts with the WSJ. The company has, however, chosen to issue a press release touting the recent successes of the App Store over the holidays, which generated $1.1 billion from apps and in-app purchases in the two weeks between December 20 and January 3, including a record-setting $144 million spent on Jan. 1.
Apple's iPhone sales picture should become more clear with its next quarterly earnings call, which is scheduled for January 26.
Update: this deal was scheduled to end after the first week of January but it's been extended - woohoo! We're not sure how much longer this great deal will last though, so our advice is: get it while it's still going because it won't last forever and it's still by far the best iPhone 6S deal out there.
If you're looking for a new iPhone in the January Sales, this deal is for you. It was introduced by O2 and Mobiles.co.uk (owned by Carphone Warehouse) just before Christmas but we're hearing the deal will run for at least another week in the January Sales.
While it lasts we think this is the best iPhone deal in the UK. It allows you to use a voucher code to save £100 on the upfront cost of the superior 64GB version of the latest iPhone 6S. That discount allows you to get the iPhone 6S 64GB cheaper than the 16GB version so it's hot.
After the £100 is discounted, you'll pay just £75 for the phone instead of £175, and then £31 per month for a great 4G contract with O2. For your money you'll get unlimited calls, unlimited text messages and 3GB data - enough for 99% of people.
We've had a look around at Carphone Warehouse, Mobiles.co.uk, Mobile Phones Direct and e2save.com as well as all the network sites (EE. O2, Three, Vodafone and more) and this is simply the best iPhone 6S deal out there right now - it really is staggeringly good value and it's set to run for another week.
The TRXMAS64 iPhone 6S deal in full:
iPhone 6S 64GB | £175 £75 up front | Unlimited calls | Unlimited texts | O2 4G | 3GB data | £31pm | £819 total
Use the voucher code TRXMAS64 at the checkout to save £100 on the superior 64GB version of the iPhone 6S and pay £75 upfront instead of £175. Then you'll be on a 4G contract with O2 which offers unlimited calls and texts and 3GB data for £31 per month. Total cost of this deal over two years is £819.
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Voucher code: TRXMAS64
A quick comparison...
The next best deal on the iPhone 64GB is at Mobiles Phones Direct - but there you'll be paying £45.75 more in total (not to mention a hefty £384.99 up front), and for just 1GB data instead of 3GB.
The absolute cheapest way to get hold of an iPhone 6S on contract is this deal also at Mobile Phones Direct - going for that deal would save you £34.75 - but you'd be getting the 16GB version of the phone instead of the 64GB version, and 1GB data instead of 3GB. Cheaper yet, but far less value in that deal.
