Overall pre-order units are comparable to last year from major e-commerce sites with the most favored Pro models,” the analysts said.
They reported that on the JD.com site the total volume of pre-orders was around 3 million units in the first 48 hours of product introductions, comparable to the IP13 cycle, but much better than the IP12 cycle with around 1.5 million units. For their part, the websites Tmall and Pinduoduo, from Alibaba, also showed similar pre-order units vs. the IP13 cycle. “We believe that overall demand and orders are better than expected given the macroeconomic situation in China,” they mentioned.
The Asian country remains a relevant market for Apple, as it represents around 25% of total iPhone sales.
Despite early orders, historic inflation in the United States poses a challenge that could weaken consumer demand, Barclays strategists said.