iPhone 11 sales close to exceeding Apple’s expectations

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iPhone 11 camera lenses
iPhone 11 sales are making a splash.
Photo: Apple

iPhone is selling at a rate that almost beats Apple’s production target. The company gave its component suppliers a range of units it expected to sell this year, and actual sales are reportedly at the very top of that estimate.

This is the latest report indicating that the iPhone 11 is selling far better than some predicted before its launch.

Apple’s iPhone production target for 2019 was between 70 and 75 million units. The company recently told its component suppliers to be ready for 75 million in sales, according to Bloomberg.

This would explain the recent comment from CEO Tim Cook that the latest iPhone enjoyed a “very strong start.”

Reasons for stronger iPhone 11 sales

Before the release of the iPhone 11, analysts predicted that it would be a dud. Their reasoning was simple: because this device lacks 5G, and the 2020 iPhone will support this speedy wireless tech, then most customers will wait until next year to upgrade.

It doesn’t seem to be working out that way. One reasons is that the just-released iOS 13 can’t be installed on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and apparently plenty of owners of these decided to upgrade now. There was a surge of sales back in 2014 when they first launched, as the iPhone 6 Plus had the largest display ever in an iOS handset by a considerable margin.

Also, Apple is offering the 6.1-inch iPhone 11 at $699, lower than the cost of the handset it replaced. That seems to be bringing in buyers.

It’s reportedly working in China, where iPhone sales were up 230% in September.

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