According to a report from Bank of America, Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup, the iPhone 15, may be delayed for a few weeks. Analyst Wamsi Mohan believes the launch could be delayed to the fourth quarter, which runs from October to December.
It is feared that the delay could disappoint Wall Street analysts, who expect strong sales for the iPhone 15 series. Mohan did not specify a reason for the alleged delay, but suggested that it may be linked to production difficulties from quarantine measures in Chinese manufacturing regions.
Apple introduced the iPhone 14 series on September 7, 2023. Following the announcement, the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max went on sale on September 16. However, the iPhone 14 Plus version was delayed and not released until October 7.
Assuming the new launch will take place between October and December, we can expect Apple’s four new iPhone 15s i.e. iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to be available on the same date.
Pro and Pro Max models are expected to feature solid-state buttons for volume and power. iPhone 15 Pro can use a combination of Power button + Action button to turn off the device or force restart it.
In addition, Mohan forecast significantly lower revenue for the September quarter with a total of $87.1 billion, much lower than market expectations of $91.6 billion. Also, this reduced forecast came despite a 2.5% increase during the quarter driven by favorable exchange rates. The analyst also forecasts iPhone sales of 48 million units, which is much more hesitant compared to Wall Street’s more optimistic estimate of 51 million units.
Apple’s revenue announcement will be released next week. The analyst believes the company’s June quarter results will be “mostly in line with expectations.” However, it is possible that every Apple hardware category will see year-over-year sales declines this quarter.