iPhone 14 Pro demand was much higher than Apple expected, according to Trendforce data. It says that the company’s orders to suppliers had initially been for 50% of iPhone 14 models to be one of the two Pro models, but this has now been boosted to 60% – and may go as high as 65%.
This appears to have been balanced out by much lower demand for the iPhone 14 Plus, says the company, before going on to talk about the differentiators we can expect for the iPhone 15 Pro over the base models …
Background
All reports so far point to strong demand for the iPhone 14 lineup, with a consensus view that the two Pro models are selling especially well.
Apple has asked Foxconn to increase iPhone 14 Pro production by 10%, according to the latest survey by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. This analysis comes after another report said that the Pro models were selling better than the regular versions.
This change is also evident in Apple Store availability, as iPhone 14 Pro models are widely unavailable and iPhone 14 stock is plentiful
The same reports suggest that the iPhone 14 Plus was the least popular model in the lineup.
Huge iPhone 14 Pro demand
Trendforce looks at data from Apple’s supply chain to judge production ratios between the four models in this year’s lineup, and concurs that iPhone 14 Pro demand is far higher than Apple anticipated.
The Cupertino company initially told its suppliers to have the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max total 50% of production, but appears to have since increased this to 60%.
The iPhone 14 Pro series boasts improved specifications yet unit prices are the same as last year’s models, making pre-orders for the Pro series highly popular […]
TrendForce indicates that the production ratio of the two models of the iPhone 14 Pro series has been increased from the initially planned 50% to 60% and it cannot be ruled out that this ratio will continue rising to 65% in the future.
The report is consistent with the view expressed by reviewers: that anyone thinking of buying the base model iPhone 14 should think again.
There’s a very consistent theme to the base model iPhone 14 reviews: It’s not good enough to justify paying $100 more than the (now) $699 iPhone 13. If you want a new phone this year, spend the extra on the iPhone 14 Pro. Indeed, of the early reviews, I’ve only spotted one which didn’t boil down to this advice.
The company doesn’t expect Apple to remain immune to more cautious consumer spending, but thinks this won’t affect the company until the first quarter of 2023.
iPhone 15 Pro specifications
This year was the first time that Apple has increased the differentiation between standard and Pro models by giving them different processors, which many have been taking as a sign that the company plans to widen the gap between the Pro and base models over time.
Trendforce backs this view, predicting that a periscope lens for greatly increased optical zoom capability will be one of the key differentiators in the iPhone 15 Pro, and may be exclusive to the Pro Max.
In terms of specifications, in addition to the comprehensive switch from lightning to Type C connectors which is already known, chances are high that the Pro series will feature a memory capacity upgrade to 8GB to match its new processor and continue camera specifications improvements including upgrading its main camera to 8P and the use a periscope lens in the Pro Max model.
“8P” here is a reference to the number of elements in the lens. There are pros and cons to adding elements to a lens, but when a manufacturer takes an existing lens design and adds elements, this is generally done to reduce distortion, which is especially important in wide-angle lenses.
We previously explained how a periscope lens allows a much higher optical zoom range than conventional lenses. I’m expecting the first iPhone with a periscope lens to offer up to 10x optical zoom.
Photo: Zana Latif/Unsplash
Author: Ben Lovejoy
Source: 9TO5Google
