Apple CEO Tim Cook Attributes a 'Pause' in iPhone Purchases to 2017 iPhone Rumors

During today's second quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple was seeing a "pause" in purchases of the iPhone, which he attributed to "earlier and much more frequent reports about future iPhones."

The comment came in response to a question about a 451 research survey, which mentioned a nine year low in iPhone purchase intent. Cook said he hadn't read the survey in depth, but explained Apple was seeing slower iPhone sales.

iphone 8 kk rendering

iPhone 8 concept based on alleged leaked design renderings

I only glanced at it and so I haven't had time to study it, but in general, what we are seeing... we're seeing what we believe to be a pause in purchases on iPhone, which we believe are due to the earlier and much more frequent reports about future iPhones. And so that part is clearly going on, and it could be what's behind the data. I don't know, but we are seeing that, in full transparency.

Rumors about the iPhone 8, coming in 2017, started before the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus were even released, despite Apple's ever-increasing focus on secrecy. Major changes are rumored to be in the works for the 2017 iPhone, and those changes have been difficult for Apple to keep quiet.

The device is expected to feature the biggest overhaul to the iPhone in a number of years, with an edge-to-edge OLED display with no Home button, a glass body with stainless steel frame, Touch ID embedded under the screen, new biometric features, a revamped camera, and more.

With the number of rumors circulating about improvements coming to the iPhone, it should come as no surprise that customers are holding off on an iPhone purchase until 2017, when the entirely revamped iPhone debuts.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
maxresdefault

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Macworld claims to have access to an ...

Top Rated Comments

SuprUsrStan Avatar
112 months ago
The dip in sales couldn't have been because the iPhone 7 looks virtually identical to the one that came out last year AND the year before. And it certainly wasn't because the only distinguishing aspect is the loss of a headphone jack.

It's got to be because of the iphone 8 rumors. :eek:
Score: 110 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DMVillain Avatar
112 months ago
Well that's what happens when you underwhelm.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lesser Evets Avatar
112 months ago
Excuses, excuses, excuses... he's a sorry excuse.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sracer Avatar
112 months ago
"Apple sold 50.76 million iPhones in its fiscal second quarter ended April 1, down from 51.19 million a year earlier."

I'm far from being an Apple apologist, but these sales numbers are insane. 430,000 fewer iPhones over a 3 month period compared to the same period last year. There are quite a few warning signs of future trouble for Apple... this isn't one of them.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexgowers Avatar
112 months ago
A pause in design will result in less desire for iPhones. Who would have thought?

Also, Tim being surprised by iPhone 7 plus sales being stronger than iPhone 7 shows just how out of touch he is with tech and users! I'm always surprised that these guys know so little about their market. You can't put a bigger battery and better camera in a phone and expect people not to want it! I know they're just human and no one is really much more of an expert than anyone else with the same information but damn I wish they could view it from a different perspective once in a while.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robeddie Avatar
112 months ago
Apple is doomed :rolleyes:... ok everyone can continue now
You know, what has become way more annoying than the negative critiques of Apple's moves and performance over the past few years ...

... is the number of cliche artists who mock that criticism by making sarcastic 'Apple is doomed' posts.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)