Despite earlier reports that customers might have to wait additional weeks for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, a trusted analyst says the companies in Asia assembling Apple’s top-tier handset will begin mass shipments this week.
It and three other iPhone 15 versions are expected to hit store shelves near the end of September, as usual.
iPhone 15 Pro Max shipments are on schedule
The Pro Max model is Apple’s top-of-the-line smartphone, with all the latest-and-greatest features. Producing millions of units of a cutting-edge product isn’t easy. Sometimes unexpected problems arise.
A recent report indicated that Sony was unable to supply enough image sensors for the iPhone 15 Pro Mac’s very powerful camera, and Apple might be forced to delay the launch of the handset.
Not so, says Ming-Chi Kuo. The TF International Securities analyst said in a note to investors published Monday:
“The market is concerned that iPhone 15 shipments will be further cut due to supply chain issues, especially iPhone 15 Pro Max shipments will be delayed. However, the fact is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will start mass shipments this week.”
Kuo has sources in Apple’s supply chain that enable him to make generally reliable predictions about the company’s future actions.
A positive iPhone 15 prediction
Kuo is bullish on Apple — he’s confident the company will ship 80 million iPhone 15 units, while more conservative analysts say the number will fall between 70 million and 80 million.
He’s apparently unconcerned by another report from July that the two iPhone 15 Pro models will be in short supply this autumn.
The handsets will supposedly squeeze slightly larger displays into chassis the same size as the previous models. They’ll accomplish that by using record-breakingly thin bezels. But those ultra-slim bezels allegedly caused problems for one of the two companies supplying screens for the handsets. If true — and Kuo seemingly doesn’t think it is — it would mean a constrained supply of these two models.
The analyst is so upbeat that he said Monday that Apple could be the world’s largest smartphone producer during 2023, shipping 220 million to 225 million units. That might put it ahead of Samsung, which supposedly has cut its shipments to 220 million units this year.
Much will depend on the exact feature set and prices for the iPhone 15 series. Those aren’t expected to be announced until mid-September.
