Last week, Apple unveiled its much-awaited iPhone 16 series, designed around its AI software, Apple Intelligence.
Early pre-order data from BofA Global Research showed that global shipping times for the iPhone 16 Pro models are shorter than last year's 15 Pro models, as of Monday, three days after the company started taking pre-orders.
The data shows that the average ship time for the iPhone 16 Pro is currently 14 days, down from 24 days for the iPhone 15 Pro last year, while the 19-day ship time for the iPhone 16 Pro Max is on par with 32 days last year.
“The main factor is the lower-than-expected demand for the iPhone 16 Pro series… the key selling point, Apple Intelligence, is not available at launch with the iPhone 16 release,” Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst at TF International Securities, said in a blogpost.
The beta version of Apple Intelligence will arrive in the US English language as soon as next month, and for other versions by the end of next year, leaving some customers skeptical about upgrading to the 16 series.
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According to Kuo's estimates, first weekend pre-order sales for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models were down 27% and 16%, respectively, based on each model's delivery times and production plans. However, BofA analyst Vamsi Mohan said the shorter shipping times could also be a factor in Apple's supply chain improvements for its Pro models. Last year, iPhone 15 Pro Max shipping was affected due to supply problems with tetraprism lenses.