Sales Gap Between iPhone 5s and 5c Narrowing Over Time

Following the initial launch weekend for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c last month, analytics firm Localytics reported that it was seeing about 3.5 times as many iPhone 5s units showing up as iPhone 5c units, highlighting a strong preference for the higher-priced models by early adopters. At the time, we noted that the gap was likely to narrow over time and a report last week from a separate research firm indicated that the margin had indeed fallen to two-to-one.

Localytics has now published a new report that provides a more complete look at the data over the past month, revealing how the iPhone 5c has been steadily gaining traction both in the U.S. and abroad, with the iPhone 5s-to-iPhone 5c ratio falling to 1.9 in the U.S. and 2.3 globally. Localytics' numbers are cumulative since launch, indicating that the current sales ratios are even closer.


The iPhone 5s remains in very short supply, with carriers such as Verizon indicating that they could have sold even more units of the device had supplies been readily available. The iPhone 5c, in contrast, has seen good supplies throughout Apple's distribution channels, allowing the company to meet demand. As a result, the ratios at which the devices are being seen are not exactly reflective of true demand, but it seems clear that demand is evening out a bit following the initial surge from early adopters focused on the iPhone 5s. As more mainstream customers look to upgrade when their current contracts run out, demand for the two lines may end up being in significantly closer balance.