Apple’s iPhone halo still shines brighter than expected! Who knew?

Apple’s new iPhones seem to be racing through the gates, with near-omniscient Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claiming interest and demand for the new iPhone 11 family is ‘exceeding expectations’.

It appears the iPhone halo still shines

Expectation for the new iPhones has been muted, despite the many signs which suggested strong potential sales of the products:

• The 220m iPhone 6 replacement cycle has begun.
• The decision to schedule more attractive prices in India, China and other key markets.
• The impact of Apple’s global services push.
• The fantastic camera.
• The impact of Apple’s outstanding customer satisfaction ranking.

Analyst reaction also seems broadly positive, as I observed last week.

This years iPhone Pro colors

What else is driving interest?

TF International Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo adds several other useful observations that suggest stronger than expected iPhone sales.

The analyst thinks new color options (especially  green iPhones) are spurring demand, and also believes that Apple’s price positioning has encouraged different regions to find different ways to climb aboard.

For example, he thinks that the iPhone 11 Pro is turning into the popular choice in the U.S., observing that the iPhone 11 leads iPhone sales in China. He notes that the availability of trade-ins and zero-interest payment plans has also helped spur interest.

As a result, the analyst raised iPhone shipment estimates to 70-75 million units, up from its previous 65-70 million estimate.

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