Apple has plans to achieve double-digit growth in new iPhone shipments following the release of the iPhone 16 series this year. The Cupertino giant informed partners and suppliers that it"s targeting a 10% shipment growth for new iPhones compared to predecessors, Bloomberg reports citing a source familiar with the matter.
Apple sold about 81 million iPhone 15 units in the second half of 2023. This year, it wants to reach a target of at least 90 million in the second half. The company is betting on several Apple Intelligence features that will be available on the iPhone 16 series, as per the report.
Apple Intelligence is a suite of AI features Apple previewed earlier this year. It is supported on the iPhone 15 Pro models and will arrive on the iPhone 16 series, which is expected to pack the A18 chips for all models. However, Apple is late to the AI parts as rivals including Google and Samsung have already sailed their ships.
Apple said it will start testing Apple Intelligence features in beta on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia this fall. Meanwhile, the upgraded version of Siri is expected to arrive in the early months of 2025.
The internal projections have surfaced as Apple is trying to recover from a slower shipment pace in the past months. Apple saw a significant drop in sales numbers in China and globally even when the market recorded double-digit growth.
In China, Apple"s share of the cake was taken by Huawei whose comeback in the $600+ premium segment with Mate 60 series directly impacted the iPhone maker, according to Counterpoint.
Bloomberg"s report adds to a recent rumor out of China, suggesting that Apple ordered new processors in the range of 90 to 100 million units as the company expects iPhone 16 shipments to reach 100 million.
It"s interesting to note that Apple managed to capture 50% of the global smartphone revenue in 2023 and 20% of the total share in shipments beating Samsung for the first time.
Source: Bloomberg