Apple is seeing high demand for its iPhone 12 lineup and has increased its orders with assembly partners for Q1 2021, Cowen analysts claim, with the shipment count expected to grow year-on-year by 38%.
Recent upheaval at a Wistron manufacturing plant in India could delay Apple's production plans in the country, though the situation is unlikely to affect an iPhone 12 ramp, analysts from Piper Sandler claim.
The iPhone 12 has become the most popular 5G-enabled smartphone in the world, according to Counterpoint Research, accomplishing the feat in October after just two weeks of sales.
The supply of and demand for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro lineups appear to be leveling out, with lead times stabilizing or moderating across the board, says analysts at JP Morgan.
The launch of the iPhone 12 lineup has been a bright spot for Qualcomm, launching Apple's 5G modem chipmaker to the number one spot in a ranking of IC design companies by revenue.
Morgan Stanley is "increasingly bullish" about the iPhone 12 cycle and has hiked the target Apple stock price, because of better-than-expected sales performance in China, stable build numbers, and other positive data.
Supply chain checks conducted by investment bank Wedbush suggest that the current iPhone 12 family demand trajectory exceeds even its previous, bullish forecast.
Despite a lack of clarity about growth expectations for the iPhone 12, investment bank JP Morgan says investors should expect "modest returns" in 2021 on the strength of wearables, Apple Silicon Macs, and the iPad.
Investment bank Wedbush says that recent reports of iPhone production bumps are only the latest indication that the iPhone 12 "reality is meeting the initial hype."
Apple is reportedly placing orders for up to 96 million iPhones for the January through June 2021 period, an increase of almost a third from the same time in 2020.
Availability data tracked by investment bank UBS suggests that there is strong demand for the higher-end iPhone 12 Pro models in China, though demand may have already peaked in the U.S.
Apple iPhone shipments in China are up in November, but remain flat year-over-year for the quarter, according to research by Goldman Sachs.
Consumer demand for the iPhone 12 Pro is continuing to strain available supply, while demand for the iPhone 12 Pro Max is moderating, according to JP Morgan.
The market shouldn't pay too much attention to how much of TSMC's 5nm production is utilized by Apple, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests, with changes in production likely to be more due to seasonality than unexpectedly low iPhone 12 demand.
Apple on Thursday published a support document detailing best practices for its MagSafe Duo charger, noting that users will not be able to simultaneously charge an iPhone 12 and Apple Watch with the company's legacy 29W power adapter.
Apple's MagSafe wallet for iPhone 12 turned quite a few heads on release, and is polarizing for many reasons. It now has competition with the feature-packed Moft iPhone 12 wallet and stand.
Apple is gauging interest in the accessories it includes with the iPhone 12 lineup with survey that asks owners if they use the included USB-C power cable.
Goldman Sachs is taking a more cautious view of iPhone revenue in 2021, citing a downward trending average selling price despite "solid" iPhone 12 unit demand so far.
Investment bank Wedbush believes that the iPhone 12 lineup is Apple's strongest product cycle in years, and has raised its AAPL price target to $160 as a result.
Delivery times tracked by investment bank JP Morgan continue to suggest that demand is outpacing supply for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, but not the lower-priced counterparts.
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Malcolm Owen
Mike Peterson
William Gallagher
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew O'Hara
