Analyst lowers prediction of iPhone XR shipments by as much as 30%
Apple component supplier numbers are a rather reliable indicator of future smartphone sales. These numbers are currently slowing down, and iPhone XR shipment predictions are being currently revised. The total numbers actually may be as low as 30% under the previous prediction. The estimate was originally approximately 100 million units for the four quarters – between the current Q4 2018 to Q3 2019. That number had been lowered to 70 million, with approximately half (between 30 and 35 million) expected to ship in the current quarter. The forecasts for the following quarters are currently as follows: 20-25 million for Q1 and 10-15 million for Q2 (25-30% under the previous prediction).
iPhone XR did not actually catch on with the customers as well as Apple had hoped. Chinese customers, for instance, were expecting a lower price on the eagerly expected model, or some at least some features like dual camera and a thinner body, which would have been awesome.
The XR sales were certainly hurt by the launch of the Huawei Mate 20, which is a very appealing option.
Total iPhone shipments were also hurt by the low XR sales numbers. Supposedly, the numbers will go down by 15-20% this quarter compares to Q1 2018. Some older iPhone model sales may revive to some extent, but they’re unlikely to cover all the losses.
Component suppliers aren’t taking the news very well, since lower shipments mean smaller production orders for them. Their numbers may also be in the dumps for a couple of quarters.
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