Faced with the enthusiasm for the first sale of iPhone 16, some people hope to find evidence of poor sales of iPhone 16. Therefore, some bloggers went to Apple retail stores to shoot videos and accidentally found that Apple retail stores were empty, which attracted many people's attention. However, is that the truth?

Some netizens immediately went to Apple's retail store at Guangzhou Tianhuan Plaza to shoot videos to provide evidence. The netizens' videos showed that although the retail store was not overcrowded, it was definitely much better than being completely empty. Many consumers were shopping for iPhones, and iPhone 16 had not arrived yet.

Apple retail store salespeople told netizens that iPhone 16 would arrive at the earliest on the 20th, so queuing up to buy iPhone 16 would have to wait until at least the 20th. Why queue up now? In contrast, many bloggers specializing in collecting mobile phones have expressed their willingness to pay a premium for iPhone 16 Pro max, with prices generally ranging from an additional 500 to 1000 yuan.

In fact, as we can see from previous years, no matter which generation of iPhone, even if sales are not ideal later, there will still be queues to buy the first batch of iPhones when they are launched. This is because Apple users have extremely high loyalty, and the unique information security and operation provided by its proprietary iOS system make them always choose to buy new iPhones first. Therefore, when a new iPhone is launched, these loyal users are always the first to queue up to buy it.

As for the blogger's claim that Apple retail stores were empty, it may not be entirely false. For example, she might have chosen a more remote Apple retail store or an authorized Apple store instead of an Apple flagship store. If she also chose to visit during business hours, right after the store opened, there would likely be very few customers at that time, and it is indeed possible that the store would appear empty. However, this does not represent that iPhone 16 is unpopular.

Apple's iPhone 16 has indeed been controversial this year. After last year's iPhone 15 sales failed to meet expectations, Apple made changes to this year's iPhone 16. All models of the iPhone 16 use the A18 processor, unlike the iPhone 14/15, where only the Pro versions used the latest processor while the standard versions used older ones. This strategy pushed the Pro versions as the best-selling models but also led to a decline in overall iPhone sales. By equipping all models of the iPhone 16 with the A18 processor, Apple hopes to regain the attention of price-sensitive consumers who may have been lost.

However, as some consumers received their iPhone 16s, Geekbench test data revealed that the A18 processors in the standard and Pro versions of the iPhone 16 are significantly different. The A18 processor in the standard version has comparable single-core performance to the A17 Pro, while the A18 Pro processor offers a performance improvement of around 10%. This has led to speculation that the A18 processor may simply be a rebranded A17 Pro, with the A18 Pro being the truly new design.

Apple's approach has raised questions among consumers, and it seems likely that the iPhone 16 Pro version will continue to be more popular, while sales of the standard iPhone 16 may struggle to meet expectations. This could lead to another decline in iPhone sales this year. Additionally, due to certain reasons, the iPhone 16 sold in China will not come equipped with Apple's AI technology, disappointing many consumers in the country, which is the largest market for iPhones.

If iPhone 16 sales are poor, prominent Apple analysts have predicted that first-week pre-orders for the iPhone 16 may be 13% lower than those for the iPhone 15, indicating a troubling situation. However, Apple still has a plan: price cuts. Based on past experience, price cuts have proven to be Apple's most effective sales tool, as they can continue to lower prices until consumers are enticed. In March of this year, the iPhone 15 saw a price drop of 1500 yuan, and during the 618 sales event, it was discounted by 2350 yuan, reversing the declining sales trend.

In summary, while it is possible that iPhone 16 sales may not meet expectations, it is highly unlikely that Apple retail stores will be completely empty, as some have claimed. After all, Apple has long dominated a significant portion of the high-end mobile phone market in China, and even in its worst times, it still commands half of the market. The loyalty of this segment of consumers exceeds industry expectations.