iPhone 16 [left], iPhone 16 Pro
Investment bank JP Morgan says that demand for the iPhone 16 range is roughly the same as for the iPhone 15 in 2023, but shipping times for the Pro models are shrinking.
With Apple not releasing details of how many iPhones it is making, nor breaking it down by model type, JP Morgan tracks shipping times. Its analysts have previously said that iPhone 16 Pro Max has been high, but all other models resemble the shipping times for the iPhone 15 range.
In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, JP Morgan says that shipping lead times have moderately improved for all iPhone 16 models. However, the “decline is particularly notable across the Pro models.”
US iPhone Availability Tracker — image credit JP Morgan
Overall, the improvement is slightly higher than at this point in 2023. JP Morgan concludes, though, that demand continues to be resilient, if fractionally behind the iPhone 15 range.
This runs counter to other recent reports that claimed lackluster demand for the iPhone 16 range.
Specifically, JP Morgan’s most recent tracking says that globally, the iPhone 16 Pro Max now averages a shipping time of 17 days. At the same point in 2023, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was averaging 19 days.
For the US, the shipping time has notably declined in the last week of JP Morgan’s tracking. For its sixth week, the firm reported that the iPhone 16 Pro Max was taking 15 days to deliver, while the 2023 equivalent was 21.
The figures for China and Europe were similar, with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus lead times remaining steady. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max shipping times improved by about five days.
Separately, JP Morgan has predicted that Apple Intelligence will drive iPhone 16 sales, and therefore potentially shipping delays. But noted in late October 2024 that the expected sales boost has yet to come.
