Demand for Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro reportedly lower than expected

Apple launched its latest iPhone 16 series of smartphones at the company’s ‘its Glowtime’ event on September 9. The iPhone 16 series consists of four smartphones — iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. All the four smartphones went on pre-orders last week. Now an online report suggests that the iPhone 16 Pro is witnessing lower-than-expected demand.
Reasons for low demand
According to renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple's highly anticipated iPhone 16 Pro is seeing lower-than-expected demand, while the iPhone 16 Plus has received strong pre-orders. In a recent research note, Kuo stated that the iPhone 16 Pro's initial sales are not meeting Apple's internal expectations. This decline was primarily driven by weaker demand for the iPhone 16 Pro models. “iPhone 16 series first-weekend pre-order sales are estimated at about 37 million units, down about 12.7% YoY from last year’s iPhone 15 series first-weekend sales,” said Kuo.
This could be attributed to various factors. “One of the key factors for the lower-than-expected demand for the iPhone 16 Pro series is that the major selling point, Apple Intelligence, is not available at launch alongside the iPhone 16 release. Additionally, intense competition in the Chinese market continues to impact iPhone demand,” added Kuo.
Increase in demand for non-Pro model
On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Plus has witnessed a significant surge in pre-orders, with demand up by 48% compared to its predecessor. This suggests that consumers are increasingly opting for larger-screened iPhones at a more affordable price.
Despite the mixed demand for the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple is still expected to achieve record-breaking sales for the iPhone 16 series overall. The strong performance of the iPhone 16 Plus and the continued popularity of the iPhone 16 are likely to drive overall sales for the series.
It remains to be seen how Apple will address the lower-than-expected demand for the iPhone 16 Pro.