Update 7/11: Turns out Barron’s misinterpreted BlueFin Research’s report which expects plans for an unreleased second-gen iPhone SE to be nixed, not the current iPhone SE …
As we inch closer to the fall announcement of Apple’s new iPhone models, speculation is starting to gain momentum. Today, BlueFin Research is out with its latest investor note in which the analysts claim Apple will discontinue the iPhone SE and iPhone X this year as focus shifts towards the “iPhone 9, iPhone 11, and iPhone 11 Plus.”
As highlighted by Barron’s, BlueFin analysts predict a high amount of “pent-up demand” for this year’s new iPhones due to the “lack of upgrade activity over the past few years.” Because of this, the analysts predict that Apple will manufacture 91 million units of its new 2018 iPhones during the latter two quarters of this year.
Furthermore, the company would further ramp production and manufacture 92 million units during the first two quarters of 2019. That spike, the analysts say, “is far larger than normal cycles.”
For the fall, the analysts model Apple making 28 million units of the iPhone 9, and 11 and 11 Plus in Q3, up from a prior estimate of 24 million units. They expect another 63 million units in Q4, 46 million units in Q1 of next year, and 46 million units in Q2. All those numbers are higher than they were previously.
In terms of shipments, they expect of 20 million, 60 million, 45 million and 40 million over those four quarters, respectively.\The analysts believe that the so-called ‘iPhone 11 Plus’ will please users who found the iPhone X too small, while the ‘iPhone 9’ will cater towards the price-conscious market.
Furthermore, they suggest that the iPhone 8 devices will stick around at the lower-end of the market, while the iPhone X and iPhone SE will be discontinued:
The iPhone 11 Plus should satisfy those unhappy with the iPhone X due to size concerns, while the iPhone 9 device should satisfy more budget-conscious buyers and the aforementioned extension of the iPhone 8 model builds will round out a fairly extensive line-up. We continue to hear that upgrade activity over the past.
The iPhone X would presumably be discontinued in Q3 of this year, and the cheaper “iPhone SE” would also go away.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Apple might discontinue the iPhone X this fall, but it’s a suggestion that should still be treated with a grain of salt. What do you make of the suggestion? Let us know down in the comments!
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