The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is asking its partners to manufacture between 70 and 80 million units combined of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 by December. This would be Apple largest order to date. Apple ordered 50 to 60 million of the iPhone 5s and 5 last year.
Its forecast for what is commonly called the iPhone 6 is significantly larger than the initial order last year of between 50 million and 60 million versions of the iPhone 5S and 5C–which had a display measuring 4-inches diagonally, these people said. Both of the coming models are expected to feature metal cases similar to the iPhone 5S and likely come in multiple colors, these people said.
Apple is likely hoping to avoid the supply crunch they faced last year with short supplies of the iPhone 5s. September of 2013 saw unexpectedly high demand for Apple’s flagship handset, and the phone was in short supply for the remainder of 2013.
Demand for the iPhone 6 is expected to be extremely high, as this year will see a redesign, and an expected larger screen(s). That could cause a large spike in upgrades this year, with analysts estimating that Apple could see a 15 to 20% jump in sales this year.
Production of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is expected to begin in July, while the 5.5-inch version will likely see August or September as a manufacturing start date.
(Via MacRumors)
