USA TODAY International Edition
IPhone 8 could dwarf records
Feature- rich device will greatly affect company sales — for good and bad
The most significant update to the iPhone — and perhaps the biggest Apple product — in three years promises not only to upend the smartphone market but Apple’s financial results for several quarters.
On the heels of the iPhone’s 10th anniversary later this week, and before Apple unveils its expected new model in September, analysts expect flat year- over- year iPhone sales as consumers wait for the revamped phone. After that, however, they expect record- setting sales, dwarfing the success of the wildly popular iPhone 6.
Angelo Zino, a senior equity analyst at CFRA, predicts record iPhone shipments of 241.5 million in the 12 months following the iPhone 8 launch — smashing the previous high, set by iPhone 6, following its introduction in late 2014.
Demand for the new iPhone could vault Apple to the top- selling spot of smartphone shipments worldwide, but it will take several factors, according to Tuong Nguyen, an analyst at market researcher Gartner. Apple briefly held that spot last year amid Samsung’s Note 7 woes before the South Korean electronics giant retook the lead. ( It led Apple, 20.7% to 13.7%, in the first quarter of 2017.) Before that, the larger iPhone 6 grabbed the top spot, also briefly.
In the interim, Zino expects a “considerable slow patch” of iPhone sales in the months leading to the introduction of the new iPhone. He predicts shipments of 41 million ( in the quarter ending in June) and 47 million ( September) before a surge to 85 million ( in December).
Such wildly diverging paths for iPhone sales the next several quarters are tied to the impact of the highly anticipated iPhone, which Apple watchers are calling an overhaul.
Three models are expected in September or October, but iPhone 8 ( sometimes also referred to as the iPhone X or iPhone Pro) — the most anticipated model with the new screen — is said to be facing production delays and will be available in limited quantities, according to Ming- Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities.
Apple declined to comment on the reports.
The next iPhone is believed to feature a redesigned glass back, according to an April report from Bloomberg, and the first significant iPhone design change since 2014’ s iPhone 6.
A sharper new OLED screen is expected to cover the nearly entire front of the device with the physical iconic home button becoming a virtual one, similar to what Samsung has done with its recent Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones. Apple is reportedly working on embedding the TouchID fingerprint sensor, a staple since 2013’ s iPhone 5S, into the display as well.
Wireless charging and faster wired charging could be coming to iPhone 8. Wistron, an Indiabased manufacturer of iPhones, told reporters this month adjustments were being made to allow for assembling phones that were waterproof and supported wireless charging, according to Nikkei Asian Review.