Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) looks all set to start the final quarter of the year on a high. According to industry sources, all three variants of the 2018 iPhones, to be released on the speculated September 12, are going to the best selling iPhones since the launch of iPhone 6 models in 2014. The shipments of three new iPhones will be expected to reach 70-75 million by the end of this year.
Since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007, it has been a booming hit throughout the world. Apple iPhone sales have increased with each new model and reached a peak after the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S in 2014. In fact, iPhone 6S had remained the best selling iPhone til 2016. However, last year in 2017, the world’s most expensive and most innovative iPhone X was launched, which emerged as the best-selling model, both in Q4 2017 and Q1 2018.
2018 iPhones: A Record-Smashing Sales?
One of the main reasons behind the extensive forecasting of the success of the soon to be unveiled 2018 iPhones is the pricing. Apple, for once, is planning to have a pocket-friendly approach towards their pricing of the 2018 iPhones which will be sporting an LCD of 6.1- inch. There will also be a cheaper 5.8-inch alternative of the iPhone X announced in the event, with the launch of the 6.5 inch variant of the iPhone X doubtful. The price of the 6.1 inch LCD iPhone is estimated to be in between $600 and $700, with the pricing of the 5.8 inches, second generation iPhone X thought to be around $800 and $900. Although reports have suggested in the past that the Cupertino Giant was planning to ditch the launch of the 6.5 inch variant of the iPhone X, namely ‘iPhone X plus’, it may yet still launch it with a price of around $900 and $1000.
The Demand-Supply Gap: A Challenge For Apple
Apple has a lot of companies tied up in its supply chain, but the two companies which pull most of the strings up top in the supply chain hierarchy belong to the country of Taiwan. These companies are Foxconn and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, better known as TSMC. Although there aren’t any conclusive reports, it has been said that Foxconn led Apple into giving chip orders to TSMC. The move has been seen as a way of spiting Samsung for its apparent success with the Galaxy S, thus laying the foundations for the relationship between the Taiwanese chip-maker and the Cupertino Giant today. The association of electronics companies like these with smartphone companies like Apple benefits both the parties. At this point in time, Foxconn is the largest contract electronics manufacturing company in the world. TSMC isn’t doing too bad either. In the July of 2017, TSMC became the largest contract chip-making company in the world, beating a Silicon Valley giant in Intel to the throne. Both the companies earn profits in the billions each financial quarter, signifying their profitability.
