Given the huge demand for the gold iPhone 5s in China, combined with the region’s adoration of everything gold and Apple’s decision this year to release its new handsets in China simultaneously with other global hotspots and you have instant shortages.
While Apple is making some progress on the supply side, increasing production and shortening wait times, the demand portion provides interesting insight into the company’s growth prospects.
According to research firm Localytics, while China’s demand for the iPhone 5s led all other nations at 91 percent versus the iPhone 5c, at 76 percent the US was below the 78 percent global average.
82 percent of nations other than the U.S. and China reported a preference for the iPhone 5s over the 5c, according to the data extracted between Friday, September 20 and Sunday night.
The UK, which along with the US, has a mature base of smartphone owners, recorded the highest percent of iPhone 5c purchases. But that achievement is more of a statistical asterick. The UK is “the only country that didn’t have at least a 3 to 1 ratio of 5s to 5c activations,†explains Localytics.
In other words, UK smartphone buyers didn’t grab more 5c than 5s iPhones, the preference for the iPhone 5s just wasn’t as lopsided as elsewhere.
