TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has provided an early analysis on Apple's new iPhone generation pre-orders. The demand for the iPhone 14 Pro Max topped that of the 13 Pro Max last year, therefore it was rated "good," while the iPhone 14 Pro received a neutral grade (i.e. the same demand as the 13 Pro), and the other two models were rated "poor."
Overall, it appears to be a wash for Apple, although the trend toward higher-end models will result in a higher Average Selling Price (ASP). Overall, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus account for 45% of iPhone 14 series shipments.
Surprisingly, according to Kuo's statistics, demand for the new Plus model is weaker than even the iPhone 13 mini saw last year – you know, the mini that was killed off because of weak demand (the Plus is also doing worse than this year’s iPhone SE, apparently).
If the two vanilla models continue to sell poorly, Apple is anticipated to cut their shipment objectives in the following weeks. The length of the pre-order surge for the two Pro models will determine if it raises the objective for them.
This information is based on wait periods for new iPhone 14 models in multiple key regions - six weeks for the Pro Max, five weeks for the Pro, and the other two will be available on launch day. Kuo issued a similar claim based on offline pre-orders in China a few weeks ago. There, the two Pro variants accounted for 85% of pre-orders, with the Plus accounting for less than 5%.
The iPhone 14 series hasn't even begun yet. sale yet – it is now accepting pre-orders, the first sales are scheduled to start on Friday (September 16). The Plus will go on sale later (next month), but so far things are not looking good for the iPhone 14 Plus.
As for the Pros, Kuo writes: “No doubt, the pre-order result for Pro models proves again that Apple still has numerous loyal and sticky customers amid the deteriorating economy, but it doesn’t mean Apple will increase orders of Pro models at once.”
