The new iPhone 7 range has, before hitting the shops, proved popular
As reports emerge of surging iPhone 7 pre-order numbers in the US, the same appears to be true in Ireland with national operators feeling the up-swell.
The constant reporting of device popularity and monitoring of levels of interest in release dates could often be construed as a media-led narrative. However, when it comes to Apple, it’s largely a consumer-led narrative.
Fans of the company’s many products, from the Apple Watch to the iPad, grow in number every year. Though it is the flagship device, the iPhone that leads this growth more than anything else.
That is certainly true of Apple’s latest product, the iPhone 7. Terms like ‘revolutionary’ and ‘most advanced yet’ get thrown around quite regularly and they can often, in the latter’s case, be factually correct.
It is this, combined with immense loyalty towards Tim Cook’s company, that sees annual interest in the latest iPhone grow. For the iPhone 7 (hitting US and European stores on Friday) pre-orders are climbing up and up.
Here in Ireland, Eir and Meteor claim the figures are rising significantly on recent years’ examples.
Delighted
“We are delighted with the volume of pre-orders, which have greatly exceeded recent iPhone launches,” said a spokesperson for the two companies to Siliconrepublic.com. “It demonstrates that customers have responded very positively to the new iPhone 7.”
Vodafone also claims “interest is looking better than last year”, while Three said interest “is high”, though it warned against any predictions of the full level of sales. How big the phone proves in comparison to the earliest editions will be revealed in time.
Such conservatism has not been shown in the US, where T-Mobile and Sprint announced that pre-orders for Apple’s new phone are up nearly four times from the previous two models, the iPhone 6 and 6S.
Pre-orders have been taken since last Friday, with T-Mobile claiming the iPhone 7 has broken all records to date.
“It’s like four times bigger than the iPhone 6 for us at the pre-order stage,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said. Sprint has seen a 375pc rise in pre-order sales compared to last year.
This is all a far cry from reports last week that Apple, contrary to its usual protocol, would not release full, official pre-order figures for fear of a disappointing tally.
Why all the fuss?
The iPhone 7 features a new 12MP camera system that has optical stabilisation and wider aperture, as well as a new six-element lens and a True Tone flash that catches 50pc more light for sharper images.
On the front of the device, the camera has been bumped up from a 5MP to a 7MP FaceTime HD camera.
The iPhone 7 Plus will come with a dual-camera set-up at the rear that will allow photographers to enjoy enhanced capabilities with a zoom feature similar to DSLR cameras, as well as added depth-of-field functionality.
The biggest headache that has emerged in the new device is the trusty 3.5mm headphone jack is to be retired. Instead, a Lightning connector port will connect headphones with the iPhone.
Of course, there are always ways to keep the retro feel.
