Apple has told its handset suppliers to expect a boatload of iPhone orders for the second half of 2011, reportedly increasing the initial number to 56 million from 50 million units. Half of those handsets are for the much-anticipated iPhone 5, according to a Monday report.
Marching orders from the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant indicate Apple plans to introduce the iPhone later in 2011 or early 2012 with demand for previous-gen iPhones dropping as the new smartphone hits store shelves, according to industry publication Digitimes. In a sign Apple intends to introduce the iPhone 5 in October, rather than September, the company lowered third-quarter iPhone 5 orders to 5.5 million units, down from 7 million. However, fourth-quarter orders rose to 20 million, up from 14 million, according to suppliers talking to the publication.
Although orders for all other iPhone models — the iPhone 4, iPhone 4 CDMA and iPhone 3GS — will surpass 20 million units for the year, Apple lowered fourth-quarter orders to 8 million units. The iPhone 5 comprises 25-26 million of the overall 56 million units ordered for the second half of 2011.
What does this all mean? A huge launch of the iPhone 5, which Apple is banking on being their most popular device yet. Will you be picking one up at launch?
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
