iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max Demand Lower than Expected: Analyst Insights and Market Challenges

Since the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max went on pre‐order in the U.S. and some other countries on Friday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that demand from consumers not only at launch has not met his expectations. Kuo’s note, which MacRumors obtained a copy of, says that his insights are based on a “supply chain survey” and shipping estimates found in Apple’s online store.

More About the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max Demand

Kuo estimates that combined with all four models of the iPhone 16 series, sales for the first weekend in pre-orders amounted to about 37 million units. This number is easily 13.6% less, as the iPhone 15 range sold in a similar first two weeks this time last year. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are among those that have dropped sharply. The iPhone 16 Pro’s sales are said to be down by some 27%, while those of the iPhone 16 Pro Max have slipped by around 16% relative to their predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max respectively, during their respective launch weekends last year.

On the other hand, the regular iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus appear to have been more popular than their iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus counterparts. Yet with the low demand in the Pro variants, that overall interest has not materialized enough for a net gain of demand for these particular models according to Kuo.

One significant reason for the reduced interest in the iPhone 16 Pro models is the delayed rollout of Apple Intelligence features. These advanced features are expected to be available only with the iOS 18.1 update in October, rather than at the initial launch. Furthermore, Kuo notes that the iPhone is facing “intense competition” in the Chinese market, which could be contributing to the overall decline in demand. This competitive pressure, coupled with the delayed features, may be influencing consumer interest and affecting initial sales figures for the new Pro models.

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