In a new report to investors, Erik Woodring, a new Apple analyst at investment bank Morgan Stanley, said — Referring to early launch lead times and pre-order data, it is clear that demand for iPhone 14 has been stronger than expected this cycle. In the U.S., for example, the iPhone 14 Pro Max model had the longest delivery wait (36.5 days) of any model released at the same time in the last six years.
At 29.5 days, the iPhone 14 Pro model had the third longest lead time of any model in the period — comparable to the iPhone 13 Pro / Pro Max released in 2021.
These numbers indicate that consumer demand for the iPhone 14 “Pro” model is quite strong in the U.S., and the response has been similar in China — with more than 2 million orders placed within 24 hours of its debut, even causing the website servers to crash at one point.
On the other hand, the iPhone 14’s delivery period was only 6 days, indicating little interest in the model. There are no statistics available for the iPhone 14 Plus, which is scheduled to launch on October 7, as deliveries began on launch day (September 16).
Apple Insider notes that while delivery times are not 100 percent reflective of consumers’ true intentions, they do at least give us a glimpse into Apple’s supply chain and how it is affected by factors such as inflation.
It’s undeniable that the long-term global prevalence of COVID-19 has had a lasting impact on other industries — such as transportation costs and times — and, in turn, on supply chains around the world.
Finally, Erik Woodring maintains his price target on APPL at $180 (29x P/E). It was lowered in July on weaker-than-expected quarterly results and was not revised after earnings were released.
