Recently, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released the latest forecast report. According to the latest survey results, the pre-order sales of the iPhone 16 series in the first weekend were approximately 37 million units, a decrease of approximately 12.7% compared to the sales of the iPhone 15 series in the same period last year.
Guo Mingchi believes that one of the biggest reasons why iPhone sales this year fell short of expectations is that demand for the iPhone 16 Pro series is lower than expected. Specifically, the iPhone 16 Pro series took significantly shorter to ship than last year’s iPhone 15 Pro series, which may be an important factor in the decline in sales.
In addition, another factor affecting sales is that Apple Intelligence, the biggest selling point of this generation of iPhones, failed to be launched simultaneously with the iPhone 16 series. The delayed launch of this technology, coupled with continued fierce competition in the Chinese market, has had an adverse impact on the demand for iPhones.
According to Kuo Ming-Chi’s analysis, although the pre-order sales of the iPhone 16 Pro series declined during the first weekend, this will not immediately have a significant impact on the production plan of the supply chain. It is expected that the operation of the supply chain will remain relatively stable in the short term. With the release of Apple Intelligence in the fourth quarter, coupled with various promotional activities during the upcoming peak sales season, the shipment volume of the iPhone 16 series is expected to improve to a certain extent.
Kuo also predicted that in response to changes in market demand, Apple may adopt a more aggressive product strategy in 2025 to stimulate demand growth.
