Apple not seeing seasonal iPhone sales decline ahead of 'iPhone 13' event

Sales of Apple's iPhone remain resilient despite the likely release of the new "iPhone 13" lineup being less than a month away, according to investment bank JP Morgan.

In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee takes a look at recent Wave7 research data analyzing U.S. sales trends across carriers in July. According to the analyst, iPhone sales don't appear to be slowing down.

Robust demand for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, as well as Apple's better inventory position compared to Android makers, are keeping iPhone sales strong even as the company's potential September keynote creeps closer.

"Overall iPhone share did not fall in July, as the company side-stepped typical seasonality ahead of a September iPhone launch, led by the ongoing resilience of the iPhone 12 in combination with inventory issues for Samsung," Chatterjee writes.

Android companies like Samsung are currently seeing inventory issues due to shortages of chips and other critical components. While the issues are also affecting Apple, the company's supply still remains "decent," the Wave7 report indicates.

In July, the iPhone 12 was Apple's leading model, followed closely by the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 mini's share of the market remains small but stable. As in previous months, carrier store representatives say that the iPhone 12 Pro Max is doing well because of its siz and telephoto lens, as well as the proliferation of Zoom calls.

According to Wave7, Apple is likely to hold an "iPhone 13" announcement event on Sept. 15, with preorders becoming available on Sept. 17. The research firm believes that the devices will launch to the public on Sept. 24.

7 Comments

DAalseth 3066 comments · 6 Years

About 3 years ago

Interesting. I wonder what it means.
Is demand so high that it will go to huge heights after 13 drops?
Is 13 so unimpressive after 12 that people aren’t bothering to wait.
Only time will tell.

muthuk_vanalingam 1371 comments · 8 Years

About 3 years ago

DAalseth said:

Interesting. I wonder what it means.
Is demand so high that it will go to huge heights after 13 drops?
Is 13 so unimpressive after 12 that people aren’t bothering to wait.
Only time will tell.

How would people be in a position to know/judge about iPhone 13 series at this point in time? If ANY inference can be made from this NEWS, it is "pump" cycle for analysts to highlight/focus on positive news about Apple so that AAPL stock price increases and they can sell their shares for a short term profit. When they want to buy Apple shares, they will spread/focus on negative news (even it it is actually a positive news, they will twist it to make it look like a negative one) about Apple during their "dump" cycle. It happens so regularly, that it has become pretty boring when it (stock manipulation) happens every time. And I am at best at beginner level in terms of understanding of stock market.

jeffharris 851 comments · 22 Years

About 3 years ago

DAalseth said:

Interesting. I wonder what it means.
Is demand so high that it will go to huge heights after 13 drops?
Is 13 so unimpressive after 12 that people aren’t bothering to wait.
Only time will tell.

Sometimes you just need a new phone. Waiting isn't an option.

Year to year (model to model) differences aren't so dramatic that getting an iPhone 12 now, rather than waiting a month or two for the 13 would make that much of a difference.

I'll be getting an iPhone 13 to replace my iPhone XS. The difference should be pretty noticeable.

royboy 453 comments · 18 Years

About 3 years ago

I just put a new battery in my iPhone 7 Plus. Feels like I got a new iPhone! Everything still works great on my iPhone 7 Plus. Looks like I’ve become a “I’ll get an iPhone when I need one!”. If the iPhone 13 Pro Max has fingerprint ID included, then I’ll switch to the “I want a new IPhone” by 100 percent.

sdw2001 17460 comments · 23 Years

About 3 years ago

jeffharris said:

DAalseth said:

Interesting. I wonder what it means.
Is demand so high that it will go to huge heights after 13 drops?
Is 13 so unimpressive after 12 that people aren’t bothering to wait.
Only time will tell.

Sometimes you just need a new phone. Waiting isn't an option.

Year to year (model to model) differences aren't so dramatic that getting an iPhone 12 now, rather than waiting a month or two for the 13 would make that much of a difference.

I'll be getting an iPhone 13 to replace my iPhone XS. The difference should be pretty noticeable.

Yeah, it just depends on your situation. I have a 12 Pro Max and I doubt there is going to be a compelling reason to upgrade. It replaced an XS Max, which replaced a X. Big differences between them all….but they were 1.5 to 2 generations ahead. You’ll see a major difference going from an XS to a 12 or 13.