KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is one of the most reliable analysts out there as relates to upcoming Apple products. Having called various things correctly in the run-up to the iPhone 6’s release (such as Apple’s sapphire manufacturing issues), he’s now forecasting numbers for the handsets over the holiday season — And they’re big!
In a new report to investors, Kuo predicts that Apple will sell a giant 71.5 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units over the 3-month holiday period. By comparison, one year ago the company sold 51 million iPhones during that same period.
Kuo’s research note also touches on several other topics, including the future of the iPhone 4s and 5c, as well as early speculation about the iPhone 7.
Of the 71.5 million iPhone 6 units Kuo predicts will sell over the holidays, he thinks the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will make up 60% of sales, or 41.6 million units, partly due to continued supply shortages with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus.
Cult of Mac has written previously about how even Apple might have underestimated the popularity of its plus-sized “phablet” iPhone, and is now in the process of shifting the production capacity ratio to more evenly reflect the two iPhone models. Tim Cook himself has commented that, “It’s very difficult to gauge demand without first finding the balance.”
Ming-Chi Kuo additionally thinks iPhone 6 and 6 Plus demand will drop below 50 million units after the holidays, mainly due to poor off-season demand. On top of this, he thinks Apple will discontinue both the 5c and 4s iPhones, despite both doing well in emerging markets. This will be an effort to streamline Apple’s handset business.
Finally, Kuo thinks that the iPhone 7, like the 6 and 6 Plus, will be made up of 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch options. This would push the current generation iPhone 6 and 6 Plus down to the mid-tier price point, while also making the iPhone 5s the “free” model.
Via: Apple Insider
