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iPhone 6 Demand Remains Strong As Supply Improves

Tuesday December 23, 2014 11:58 am PST by Juli Clover
Demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been growing even as Apple has significantly boosted available supply, according to a new survey conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. According to Munster, who surveyed 1,004 U.S. consumers about their upcoming smartphone purchase plans, demand for the iPhone has only increased since the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched in September.

Of consumers surveyed who plan to buy a smartphone in the next three months, 50 percent said they planned to buy an iPhone. In a similar survey conducted in September, only 47 percent were planning on purchasing an iPhone. In 2013, demand for the iPhone 5s fell following the device's launch, whereas demand for the iPhone 6 appears to be rising.

iphone6-stock-photo
We conducted a survey of 1,004 US consumers. Of those looking to purchase a smartphone in the next three months, 50% said they plan on purchasing an iPhone vs. 47% in September, following the iPhone 6 announcement. By comparison, demand for the iPhone decreased from 50% in Sep-13 to 44% in Dec-13 following the iPhone 5S launch. Overall we believe this shows that consumers are extremely interested in the larger screen iPhone 6, a testament to the strength of the current upgrade cycle.
Munster also notes that supply checks have pointed towards increased numbers of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices in retail stores. As of last week, 77.6 percent of stores had iPhone 6 units in stock, compared to 56.1 percent two weeks ago.

Apple's online store shipping estimates also point towards a significant increase in supply, with Apple growing close to reaching supply/demand balance. Over the course of the last few weeks, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus shipping estimates have improved from 7 to 10 days to just a single business day. As of Thursday, December 18, 16 and 64GB iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models ship from Apple within a day, while the more constrained 128GB models ship within 3 to 5 days.

[ 105 comments ]


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2457282
61 months ago

Small sample size is small. Millions buy the iPhone every year. 1004 random people give almost zero worthwhile data.


Amazingly statistic suggest otherwise. this is the standard polling sample size in the US.

The good news is that there may be plenty of phones for all those Christmas shoppers.
Rating: 16 Votes
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MH01
61 months ago

But those fugly antenna lines! And that camera bulge! /s


Imagine how many more they could have sold had it not been for those. ;) /s

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Maybe that guy in the forums always whining about not being able to find a sim-free unlocked iPhone 6 will finally get his wish. :)


I think that bloke could not find a drink in a brewery !!!!
Rating: 12 Votes
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Rogifan
61 months ago
But those fugly antenna lines! And that camera bulge! /s
Rating: 10 Votes
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Satori
61 months ago

Small sample size is small. Millions buy the iPhone every year. 1004 random people give almost zero worthwhile data.


As an estimate of the US market 1004 is actually pretty large as a sample of the US market for the purposes of statistical estimation. It should yield an estimate that is only +/- 1 or 2 percent from the true figure (depending on the precise size of the market).
Rating: 8 Votes
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kahkityoong
61 months ago

Small sample size is small. Millions buy the iPhone every year. 1004 random people give almost zero worthwhile data.


You don't seem to know much about statistics.
Rating: 8 Votes
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JeffyTheQuik
61 months ago
Apple is doomed!

What will they do for an encore?
How will the iPhone 7 top this?
Cue up the doomsayers...

Oh yeah.... Merry Christmas all!
Rating: 7 Votes
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the8thark
61 months ago

According to Munster, who surveyed 1,004 U.S. consumers

Small sample size is small. Millions buy the iPhone every year. 1004 random people give almost zero worthwhile data.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Keirasplace
61 months ago

Small sample size is small. Millions buy the iPhone every year. 1004 random people give almost zero worthwhile data.


You have NO CLUE what your talking about don't you. Polls for national elections routinely are 1024 or 2048 randomly polled people. If the sampling of 1024 is representative or the underlying population (however we define it), then it has a 3% margin of error 95% of the time.

From Wiki :

The margin of error is a statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in a survey's results. The larger the margin of error, the less confidence one should have that the poll's reported results are close to the "true" figures; that is, the figures for the whole population. Margin of error occurs whenever a population is incompletely sampled.

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Where exactly were iPhones in short supply? In Apple stores? I walked into TMo and got my daughters iP6 for her birthday in November. Heck even MVNO's like Boost had stock of 6's and 6+'s. As someone else mentioned, Best Buy and other stores were stocked. Seems the only people who had problems getting a phone were the ones who ordered online from Apple. Go figure.


Of course, your situation is representative of EVERY ONE's situation. Who needs sampling... ;-).
Rating: 5 Votes
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Mtmspa
61 months ago
Can't wait to get my 6S.
Rating: 3 Votes
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btbeme
61 months ago
Gene Munster does good ground-level research. He believes in what his eyes and ears tell him...and so do I. For instance, I walked by both an Apple Store and a Microsoft Store in the same mall yesterday (Chandler, AZ). Apple Store was very busy - people at every station, many waiting for a turn. Microsoft Store had 11 customers and 16 employees on the floor. Almost all of the customers were around the X-box display.

One of those "customers" was my 9 year-old special-needs daughter who marched in demanding to see an iPad. When presented with a Surface, she wrinkled her nose and said "Not that one - a REAL one."

Love her. She isn't getting an iPad this year, but she knows what she wants.

Apple will soon be the world's first trillion-dollar company. 70% or so of its revenue comes via the iPhone connection. If I were you, I would not bet that Apple screws that pooch anytime soon.

And, ApplePay will be a VERY large portion of Apple's revenue in about 2 years. That is one of the most forward-thinking products ever introduced to the world. It won't save lives like the polio vaccine, but it WILL be transformative much like the iPod transformed digital music from contraband to mainstream.
Rating: 3 Votes

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