iPhone 6 debuts vs slumping Galaxy S4, depressed smartphone market

The iPhone 6 steps up to bat at a time when its competitors are striking out left and right. The most formidable iPhone 6 competitor, the Galaxy S4, has seen such a large sales dropoff that Wall Street analysts are warning it'll affect Samsung's stock price. The rest of the competition is faring even worse, with the HTC One and the BlackBerry Z10 both dropping to $49 bargain basement prices just a few months after debuting. It's a sign that consumers are either less interested in buying smartphones in general than they used to be, or are simply unexcited about what's been coming to market so far this year. Now Apple steps to the plate with the iPhone 6 under conditions which, depending on how one looks at it, are either ideal or downright scary.

The sheer number of consumers who have taken a pass on smartphone purchases this year means that an abnormally high number of people are upgrade-eligible as Apple is rolling out the iPhone 6. If Apple plays its cards right it can clean up, reeling in switchers from other platforms in record numbers who have been sitting on an aging Android or BlackBerry phone and waiting for something more appealing to come along. But if the iPhone 6 doesn't get consumers any more excited than any of the other smartphones that have launched this year, it could be the first iPhone which doesn't outsell the previous generation.

The rising revenue pouring into tablets, most of which cost more than the $199 price tag the iPhone 6 will carry, says that people are still willing and able to spend plenty of money on mobile technology. The middling Galaxy S4 sales are more a sign that Samsung has lost its momentum after launching an S4 which offers too little over the S4 before it. And the $49 price tags on the HTC One and Z10 are more about those phones being rejected by the public altogether, and retailers trying to find some non-zero price point that will allow them to clear store shelves in favor of something more appealing. At this point retailers have to be hoping the iPhone 6 is the answer.