Twenty-four hours after we found out that the iPhone 5s is out-selling the cheaper iPhone 5c by a ratio of nearly four to one, new data show that China and Australia, where the 5s is outselling the 5c five to one, are the two countries where the iPhone 5s is most popular.
Localytics, the company that complied this data, doesn’t know what color those iPhone 5s handsets are, but earlier reports about the gold 5s selling out in Hong Kong and mainland China indicate that sales of the 5s are being driven least in part by luxury buyers seeking status symbols.
These data only cover the first 72 hours in which the new iPhones were available, so, as many have pointed out, it’s probable that the ratio of iPhone 5c to iPhone 5s sales will increase, as opening weekend sales are likely to include a much greater proportion of buyers who have been waiting to upgrade to the newest iPhone, the 5s. As time passes, it’s likely that more cost-conscious consumers will buy the 5c. That seems to be happening already in the UK, which had the lowest ratio of iPhone 5s to iPhone 5c purchases.