Despite lower demand for pro models, Apple receives 37 million pre-orders for iPhone 16 series: Report

Lower demand also means customers will get their hands on the new iPhones quickly.

iPhone 16 in different colour options. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

Apple is estimated to ship over 37 million units of the iPhone 16 series as part of the pre-order sale. While this number might sound impressive, it’s actually down by 12.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) when compared to the iPhone 15 series.

Also read | iPhone 16 available at an effective price of Rs 66,600 on HDFC Smartbuy for Infinia card users

According to a report by the smartphone industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, compared to the iPhone 15 Pro series, the delivery dates for the iPhone 16 Pro series are significantly shorter due to lower-than-expected demand for the high-end models. This has brought down the average delivery week across the models, where Apple should fulfill the first-week pre-orders of the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, and iPhone 16 Pro in under two weeks, while it could take up to three to four weeks to complete the iPhone 16 Pro Max pre-orders.

iPhone 16 first weekend pre-order analysis: estimated total sales of about 37 million units; Pro series demand lower than expectedhttps://t.co/GGAN9Yewx3

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) September 15, 2024

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has the most demand and has garnered over 17 million pre-orders, with the iPhone 16 Pro being the second most popular device with over 9.8 million pre-orders. In terms of demand, the iPhone 16 is almost on par with the iPhone 16 Pro with 7.3 million pre-orders, while the iPhone 16 Plus has the least demand with just over 2.6 million pre-orders.

The report also highlights that the unavailability of Apple Intelligence at launch has affected the demand for the newest iPhones. Apple Intelligence will only be available at a later date via a software update, and the competition from Chinese smartphone makers is also said to have an impact on the sale figures of the iPhone 16 Pro series. The iPhone 16 series sale could see a spark post the release of Apple Intelligence, which might happen just in time for the festive season.

Besides, Apple also struggled with the production of tetraprism camera technology featured on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which has now been improved; hence, Apple will be able to produce more iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max faster. The addition of the tetraprism camera to the iPhone 16 Pro and the unchanged pricing are said to have helped Apple receive solid first-week pre-orders.

Tags:
iPhone 16