Another Apple analyst predicts weak growth in iPhone sales this spring
Checks with supply-chain vendors indicate that Apple’s iPhone sales may decline about 33 per cent between December and March
By Anita Balakrishnan
Checks with supply chain vendors indicate that Apple’s iPhone sales may decline about 33 per cent between the December 2017 and March 2018 quarters, Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi wrote in a research note released on Tuesday.
He predicts Apple will offer implied guidance of 51 to 57 million iPhones sold for the March quarter, lower than consensus guidance estimates of 62 million. Last year, Apple sold 51 million iPhones in the March quarter.
“At a high level, noise in the supply chain appears most pronounced about Apple’s March quarter, consistent with the fact that sequential declines could be in line, or worse than recent history,” Sacconaghi said.
That’s not too unusual on its own — Apple usually sells about 30 per cent fewer iPhones in the quarter after the holiday shopping rush, Sacconaghi wrote. But the pricey iPhone X was widely expected on Wall Street to drive a “super-cycle” thanks to its new form factor, including a screen that takes up the entire front face.
So if 2018 turns out to be normal by Apple’s standards, it could be a disappointment to investors.