iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

[MacRumors]

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store.

Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached about 37 million units in the first weekend after Apple began accepting pre-orders, which is down nearly 13% compared to first-weekend sales of the iPhone 15 series last year. The analyst said a key factor for the decline is the lower demand for the Pro models, with first-weekend sales of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max estimated to be down 27% and 16%, respectively, compared to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max sales during the equivalent period last year.

The standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have seen higher demand than the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus during the first weekend of sales, but this has not been enough to offset the lower demand for the Pro models, according to Kuo.

Kuo said a major reason for the iPhone 16 Pro models having lower-than-expected demand is that Apple Intelligence will not be available on the devices when they launch on Friday. Instead, the first Apple Intelligence features are rolling out with iOS 18.1 in October. In addition, the analyst said the iPhone is facing "intense competition" in China.

Article Link: iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

 

[Klae17]

At this point, I'm keeping my iPhone 14 Pro out of spite.

 

[thermal]

iPhone 16 Pro weight has increased too much for me. More interested in regular 16 or 15 Pro (to replace my iPhone 13) due to weight.

 

[dcdunk]

hmmm, so that's what happens when you dripfeed new features year after year. not surprised

 

[pdaholic]

I really wanted usb-c, so upgrading to the 15 was worthwhile for me. If they shrink the notch to a hole, I’ll consider upgrading to the 17, but nothing compelling me to get the 16.

 

[dawnrazor]

very happy with my 15 Pro... the 17 will need to be a big step up to make me want to upgrade...

 

[quagmire]

Only reason why I upgraded was due to being in iUP and the battery life.

Wasn't for that, there is nothing in the 16 gen to jump......

 

[grilledcheesesandwich]

You’re telling me the thinner bezels didn’t get people to upgrade?

 

[WilliApple]

How to fix:
MAKE ACTUAL CHANGES!
Gen-z all over says "iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 are the same, iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 are the same"

Unless an actual good change is made, I am sticking with my 14 Pro.
Also su about the AI lol.

 

[LoveToMacRumors]

Just for fun guys, go see a few videos on youtube of the new Huawei ultimate design phone.

 

[AlexJaye]

Increased weight, increased cost to replace the battery, nothing much added overall to improve QOL, the price … I’m just shocked

 

[Andres Cantu]

People are voting with their wallets.

And I really don’t think the lower demand is due to Apple Intelligence launching until later. I don’t think the average consumer will wait because they know it will launch later. I would think they think it will launch on day 1.

 

[Pixelspeeper]

Don’t believe it, we will sell millions of 16 Pros

 

[spaxxedout]

It’s a solid tock release. Some of the major updates like better microphones and thermals aren’t sexy and won’t move units, but will pay dividends down the line.

FWIW I’m watching close to see why Apple included the capture button on the base models. Not doing that would increase margins for those phones and probably increase ASP’s as many would go to the pro for that feature. I think there’s a longer game here. It does nudge users to take more landscape photos and videos, but I’m not sure what Apple’s payoff would be with that 🤔

 

[klasma]

Kuo said a major reason for the iPhone 16 Pro models having lower-than-expected demand is that Apple Intelligence will not be available on the devices when they launch on Friday.

I kinda doubt that that’s the main reason.

 

[jz0309]

Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store.

Kuo said a major reason for the iPhone 16 Pro models having lower-than-expected demand is that Apple Intelligence will not be available on the devices when they launch on Friday.

a "survey" and a probing of shipping estimates, ok ,maybe that is a valid data set.
Apple Intelligence not available - that is his opinion, which of course he has. I seriously doubt that even half the people who buy the Pro or any other iPhone 16 know what Apple Intelligence does, nor do they care ...

 

[Boeingfan]

Isn’t it a little odd to compare demand for the 16 to that of the 15, given the 15 is only a year in? Surely the number of folks who upgrade annually is significantly less than the number who upgrade biannually or every three years?

 

[holmesf]

I am sure also that using the same A18 chip (A18 pro just has 6 vs 5 GPU cores ... mostly irrelevant) in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro is also doing no favors to the Pro sales.

Pro buyers are getting it for the screen (OLED, Promotion, and to a lesser extent "always on") and the telephoto camera. But those features have been present in various incarnations for years (2017 OLED, 2021 Promotion, 2022 "always on" and 5x telephoto on Pro Max)

 

[klasma]

Don’t believe it, we will sell millions of 16 Pros

You think so? Millions? 😂

The iPhone mini sold millions as well.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

basically the features that separate it from previous iterations are mostly AI - a feature people do not actually want outside of maybe emoji generation and which won't be available at launch.

 

[Funny Apple Man]

The standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have seen higher demand than the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus during the first weekend of sales, but this has not been enough to offset the lower demand for the Pro models, according to Kuo.

I pretend to be shocked.

The regular 16 had more noticeable changes than the pros this year, so I’m not surprised the regulars are selling more than the pros.

 

[JohnC1959]

How to fix:
MAKE ACTUAL CHANGES!
Gen-z all over says "iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 are the same, iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 are the same"

Unless an actual good change is made, I am sticking with my 14 Pro.
Also su about the AI lol.

But are iPhone 13 and iPhone 16 the same? For many, that's the real question.

 

[thadoggfather]

AI - a feature people do not actually want outside of maybe emoji generation and which won't be available at launch.

I got a preorder for 16 pro in but yeah... dubious whether or not most people want it, or understand its value proposition, let alone it won't be available and only partially at that a month after the hardware launches. Empty promises and nebulous timeline.

Heads should roll at Cupertino but they'll probably get promotions (not ProMotions) for their courage.

 

[carswell]

Kuo said a major reason for the iPhone 16 Pro models having lower-than-expected demand is that Apple Intelligence will not be available on the devices when they launch on Friday

A driving factor has got to be that, with the 16s and 16 Pros, the differences between the two lines are less obvious than they were in preceding generations. Always-on, a slightly better CPU, a somewhat better camera (but regular models also have the biggest camera innovation, the button), faster refresh rates, slightly more premium build, slight increase in battery life: for many, these fall into the nice-to-have category they can live without.

 

[TheMaverick001]

At this point, I'm keeping my iPhone 14 Pro out of spite.

Massive tech enthusiast with a disposable income begging to be spent on a shiny new iPhone... and I’m also still keeping my 14 Pro. Apple at least used to hide the fact that they were dripfeeding a little better. I mean, every company does it, you can’t just release the greatest ultimate phone ever because you’ll cannibalize all future sales. But still, these hardware changes are a joke. They too obviously started to withhold features far after they’re ready, like RAM or the 48MP telephoto.