Long iPhone 14 Pro lead times hint at sky-high demand

By Malcolm Owen

Consumer demand for the iPhone 14 Pro models are high compared to those of the iPhone 13 Pro range, analysis of availability indicates, while sales of the Apple Watch Ultra are considered to be quite robust.

The lead times for the currently-released iPhones are short for the standard iPhone 14, but remain extended for the Pro models, according to JP Morgan's Apple Product Availability Tracker. In the second week of tracking delivery timings across multiple regions, it seems that consumers can get an iPhone 14 delivered in an average of just three days.

The note to investors seen by AppleInsider adds the iPhone 14 Pro has a 35-day average delivery time and the Pro Max is at 41 days. The iPhone 14 Plus has a delivery time set at 21 days, but the note warns that availability begins for that model from October 7.

"Relative to the iPhone 13 series, lead times are shorter for the base iPhone 14 model, but more extended for the Pro and Pro Max models," the note claims.

On a regional basis, the US times put the iPhone 14 at 4 days, while the Plus is still tracking to its first available date. This is "less favorable" than the lead times of the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, which were 19 to 21 days by this stage. The Pro and Pro Max are at 35 days and 42 days respectively, and aside from a few iPhone 14 Pro Max variants, most are available for same-day in-store pickup.

In China, the Pro model's lead times have moderated slightly, but are still long at 39 days and 46 days for the respective sizes, versus 40 days for the iPhone 13 Pro models. The iPhone 14 Plus continues to track for its first available date, while the iPhone 14 is available next-day, with both timescales being much quicker than the 21-day lead times for the iPhone 13 and mini in 2021.

The Germany and UK trackers showed similarly strong demand for the iPhone 14 Pro models, with the 14 at 3 days being less favorable than the iPhone 13's demand profile. For the Pro models, the lead times are said to be in line with their iPhone 13 Pro counterparts.

For the wearable devices, the Apple Watch Ultra is said to have sustained global demand, at 37 days versus 34 days one week prior. The Apple Watch Series 8 is now at 25 days, against 28 days one week ago.

The Apple Watch SE saw its timescales lower slightly from 8 days in the first week to 6 days. For the AirPods Pro Gen 2 in the U.S. and Germany, it too is seeing high demand, with lead times extending past the first availability date of September 23.