Two of Apple's largest suppliers have reported healthy jumps in monthly revenue, suggesting fears of weak iPhone demand may be overblown (via Bloomberg).

Asian firms TSMC and Foxconn (Hon Hai) both posted a 5.6 percent rise in November sales, reversing a recent trend of Apple suppliers reducing production or revenue outlooks to reflect lowering demand for Apple's smartphones.

iphone xs vs xr
Foxconn posted NT$601.4 billion ($19.5 billion) in revenue, a record for the month of November, which puts the iPhone assembler on track for its fastest pace of annual growth in years.

TSMC, maker of Apple's system-on-chips like the A12 processor, reported revenue of $3.1 billion, a lower figure than the previous month but still considered strong overall. Executives at the chipmaker have said they expect demand for premium devices to help offset lethargy in the crypto-mining market, which it has heavily invested in.

Apple accounts for close to half of main iPhone-assembler Hon Hai's revenue and about a fifth of TSMC's, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The figures offer something of a riposte to the narrative that sales of Apple's iPhone XR and XS have been weaker than expected. For example, last week it was reported that Apple moved marketing staff off other projects to focus on bolstering sales of the latest iPhone lineup in late October.

Apple's next earnings call is in January, when investors will get an idea of how the company did over the holiday season, although Apple recently stopped reporting real unit numbers for its major product categories, so investors will have to rely on revenue and gross margin figures alone to assess performance.

Tags: Foxconn, TSMC
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Darmok N Jalad Avatar
81 months ago
It’s like we do this every year or something.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Quu Avatar
81 months ago
Two of Apple's largest suppliers have reported healthy jumps in monthly revenue, suggesting fears of weak iPhone demand may be overblown.
You mean TSMC who makes the microchips for almost everything including all of AMD's GPU's, all of NVIDIA's GPU's most of the Qualcomm stuff and even Huewei's CPU's for their phones had a strong November when there is already a backlog of 6 months to get anything fabbed there? oh my god.

Also is that the same Foxconn that assembles all the Amazon devices, Apple iPads, Google Chromecasts, all the Microsoft Surfaces, the XBOX the Nintendo Switch and the PS4? - Damn you'd think with lowered iPhone sales they'd be basically on the street begging for business.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tromboneaholic Avatar
81 months ago
Not quite.

It's a very well known fact that demand picks up for the holidays. Considering that we probably had a low baseline this year (due to demand being lower than expected), when it picked up it really showed (even if probably not to previous years' levels).

But then again, who knows.
This is an increase over last year's sales. It's holiday period 2017 vs holiday period 2018.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdnz Avatar
81 months ago
You mean TSMC who makes the microchips for almost everything including all of AMD's CPU's, all of NVIDIA's GPU's most of the Qualcomm stuff and even Huewei's CPU's for their phones had a strong November when there is already a backlog of 6 months to get anything fabbed there? oh my god.

Also is that the same Foxconn that assembles all the Amazon devices, Apple iPads, Google Chromecasts, all the Microsoft Surfaces, the XBOX the Nintendo Switch and the PS4? - Damn you'd think with lowered iPhone sales they'd be basically on the street begging for business.
Don't speak logic here, it's not appreciated! Some people are under the assumption TSMC only makes iPhone chips or something.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
81 months ago
So much for the talk that Apple has peaked and sales are shrinking ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
szw-mapple fan Avatar
81 months ago
[LIST=1]
* iPhone released
* MacRumors: worst new iPhone ever, I liked my [insert iPhone from 3 years ago]. Tim Cook must resign!
* Reports of limited stock
* MacRumors: bash Apple for creating artificial demand
* Apple has enough stock and winds down the initial production rush
* News reports unnamed sources saying Apple has lowered orders due to low demand
* MacRumors: Price too high, Tim Cook must resign!
* Suppliers report good numbers
* MacRumors: Probably only because [other device from company x] is selling a lot this year.
* New year comes, news again reports unnamed sources saying Apple has lowered orders due to low demand
* MacRumors: Apple has no more innovation, Tim Cook must resign!
* Apple reports good numbers
* MacRumors: Grumble grumble

And Repeat every year. It's rather hilarious.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive an All-New Perk

Thursday February 6, 2025 11:21 am PST by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already come with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and now there is another one...
2007 iPhone

Apple Discontinuing This 18-Year-Old iPhone Feature

Saturday February 8, 2025 3:51 pm PST by
The end of an 18-year era is on the horizon for the iPhone. Apple reportedly plans to announce a new iPhone SE as soon as next week, and the device is expected to feature a full-screen design with Face ID, instead of a Touch ID home button. That means Apple will no longer sell any new iPhone models with a home button, for the first time since the original iPhone launched. The home button...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Will Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday February 5, 2025 7:15 am PST by
iOS 18.3 was released last month, so the first iOS 18.4 beta should be coming soon. iOS 18.4 is expected to be a more substantial update for the iPhone, with several new features and changes related to Apple Intelligence and beyond. Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, following beta testing. Below, we outline what to expect from the update so far. Apple...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb

iPhone SE 4 Launching as Soon as Next Week

Thursday February 6, 2025 3:30 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone SE could debut as soon as next week with a launch to follow later in February, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple isn't expected to hold an event for the iPhone SE 4, and will instead unveil the device through a press release. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have an iPhone 14-style design, with Apple eliminating the thick bezels and Touch ID Home button of...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

Friday February 7, 2025 2:37 am PST by
The British government has secretly demanded that Apple give it blanket access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud, reports The Washington Post. The undisclosed order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple creates a back door that allows UK security officials unencumbered access to encrypted user data worldwide – an unprecedented demand not before...
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Thursday February 6, 2025 7:31 am PST by
Apple is internally testing iOS 18.3.1 for iPhones, according to our website's analytics logs, which have been a consistently reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released within the next few weeks. iOS 18.3.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Apple Intelligence notification summaries for news and...
Apple Leak Feature

Apple Leaker Issues Apology: 'Profound and Expensive Mistake'

Friday February 7, 2025 9:21 am PST by
Last year, we reported that Apple sued its former software engineer Andrew Aude for providing journalists with confidential information about the company's future plans, including details about the Journal app, Vision Pro headset, and more. As reported by 9to5Mac, the Superior Court of Santa Clara County on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit after Apple and Aude reached an agreement to resolve...
imac video apple feature

Apple to Announce New Products Next Week

Saturday February 8, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple has yet to release any new devices in 2025, but at least two new products are expected to be announced next week, according to rumors. Below, we outline the new Apple products that are likely to be unveiled next week. iPhone SE 4 Apple plans to announce the long-rumored iPhone SE 4 as soon as next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new iPhone SE is rumored to...