Technology
SEMrush data study: Does Apple still have what it takes to excite UK consumers?
Published by Gbaf News
Posted on September 11, 2018
4 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Gbaf News
Posted on September 11, 2018
4 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
In anticipation of Apple’s next iPhone event tomorrow, trends data provider SEMrush analysed searches for new rumoured iPhone models and the latest Apple watch, and whether the company still captivates the attention of UK consumers.
This comes over a decade after the first ever iPhone launch in 2007, and weeks after reports that Apple has slipped to third place for global smartphone sales, according to Gartner, behind Samsung and Huawei respectively.
SEMrush has examined online searches for potential models iPhone 9, iPhone X Plus, iPhone 11, and iPhone X2, ahead of recent rumours for the latest iPhone XS. The exact timeframe examined is September 2014-August 2018.
The data reveals that searches have shot up dramatically in recent months, building up anticipation ahead of the upcoming launch. The data shows that the iPhone 9, X Plus, and 11 respectively generated the most interest, with searches rising steadily for these models since September 2017. In August 2018, searches for them surged to 90,500 (iPhone 9), 74,000 (iPhone X Plus), and 40,500 (iPhone 11).
When compared to searches for iPhone X in the same graph (below), interest in the newer models pales into insignificance. Searches for iPhone X peaked in September 2017 with a total of 2,740,000, and gradually dropped to 450,000 in August 2018.
Searches for the new Apple Watch Series 4 show greater fluctuation in searches, in comparison to iPhone handsets. Positive interest increased before and after The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC18), when Apple revealed the new watchOS 5, however has since flattened out. With overall searches for Apple Watch having reached almost 1 million in April 2015, and dropping to almost 301,000 in August 2018, it remains to be seen if Apple can rekindle consumer interest in the world’s most popular smartwatch with the Series 4 model.
In anticipation of Apple’s next iPhone event tomorrow, trends data provider SEMrush analysed searches for new rumoured iPhone models and the latest Apple watch, and whether the company still captivates the attention of UK consumers.
This comes over a decade after the first ever iPhone launch in 2007, and weeks after reports that Apple has slipped to third place for global smartphone sales, according to Gartner, behind Samsung and Huawei respectively.
SEMrush has examined online searches for potential models iPhone 9, iPhone X Plus, iPhone 11, and iPhone X2, ahead of recent rumours for the latest iPhone XS. The exact timeframe examined is September 2014-August 2018.
The data reveals that searches have shot up dramatically in recent months, building up anticipation ahead of the upcoming launch. The data shows that the iPhone 9, X Plus, and 11 respectively generated the most interest, with searches rising steadily for these models since September 2017. In August 2018, searches for them surged to 90,500 (iPhone 9), 74,000 (iPhone X Plus), and 40,500 (iPhone 11).
When compared to searches for iPhone X in the same graph (below), interest in the newer models pales into insignificance. Searches for iPhone X peaked in September 2017 with a total of 2,740,000, and gradually dropped to 450,000 in August 2018.
Searches for the new Apple Watch Series 4 show greater fluctuation in searches, in comparison to iPhone handsets. Positive interest increased before and after The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC18), when Apple revealed the new watchOS 5, however has since flattened out. With overall searches for Apple Watch having reached almost 1 million in April 2015, and dropping to almost 301,000 in August 2018, it remains to be seen if Apple can rekindle consumer interest in the world’s most popular smartwatch with the Series 4 model.
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