iPhone 16 base models reportedly struggle in early sales
Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 8:46PM 
Photo: Apple
Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus might not be as popular as its iPhone 16 Pro counterparts. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shares his initial reports on shipment updates for the new iPhones. He sees demand for the base iPhone 16 models as "lacklustre," while the iPhone 16 Pro models see orders comparable to the iPhone 15 Pro.
It doesn't seem to affect production much, though. Kuo says assembly orders for all four phones remain mostly the same. There's only a "negligible" 3-5% reduction of component orders for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Production estimate for the iPhone 16 devices in the fourth quarter of 2024 is around 88-89 million units (slightly lower than last year's 90-91 million units).
According to his report, suppliers were asked to continue working on the Pro models during China's National Day week-long holiday. It signals that demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have generally met expectations. And they are seeing shorter shipping times than last year's iPhone 15 Pro models.
Sales are expected to improve in late October in the US as Apple rolls out Apple Intelligence features. But this won't likely impact other markets as the features are limited to the country at that time. In Canada, Apple Intelligence is scheduled to roll out in December.
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