The iPhone 15 line-up, and particularly the iPhone 15 Pro, could be much easier to buy thanks to Apple ordering plenty of displays to meet demand, says a new report from DSCC's David Naranjo (via 9to5Mac).
As Naranjo reports: "For the period of June – July, iPhone 15 panel shipments are expected to be 100% higher than iPhone 14 series during the same period in 2022." This fits with a previous claim from DSSC's Ross Young that Apple was stocking up on iPhone 15 screens, although he didn't openly predict quite such a large increase in display orders.
The percentage of displays destined for the Pro models is higher as well, says Naranjo. "With the current mix of panel shipments for the iPhone 15 series, the Pro models account for a 58% share versus a 43% share for the iPhone 14 Pro models during the June – July period," he writes, suggesting Apple's learned from last year.
By last year, we're referring to when the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were clearly the models early adopters wanted to buy, but were in short supply due to Apple overestimating how many iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus units it would sell early on. Wait times for users who hadn't pre-ordered were weeks or even months long until after the holiday season that year, no doubt costing Apple some otherwise guaranteed sales.
Preparing for huge sales
We've been hearing rumors that this year could see an above-average number of users upgrade their iPhones to an iPhone 15 model. Part of that will presumably be fueled by users tempted by the new rumored features like USB-C charging, Dynamic Island cutouts and 48MP main cameras across all models, plus a new chip for the Pro models and a periscope telephoto camera for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
New hardware aside, a "super-cycle" of upgrades could also be down to users of older iPhones holding out on upgrading for longer than expected. It makes sense to hold onto iPhones for as long as possible given Apple's generous iOS update schedule and the relatively slow rate of upgrades between generations. But with models like the iPhone X confirmed to not get this year's big iOS 17 update, it could be upgrade-o-clock for a larger than average cohort of iPhone users.
This report of Apple preparing for higher than usual demand at launch is therefore quite a relief. So is the other recent claim that Apple's ordering extra stock of other iPhone 15 parts, and has requested extra help in assembling the devices.
Normally for iPhone 15 rumors, we've got to wait until September's assumed Apple event until we can check if they're true or not. But in this case, there will be no way to know if Apple's stockpiled iPhone 15 models until the phones go on sale and we see how easy or difficult they are to order.
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