Foxconn has been tapped for extra orders, sources say

Oct 3, 2014 09:14 GMT  ·  By

Industry sources in China are reporting that sales of iPhone 6 Plus will be higher than initially thought, with Apple ordering Foxconn to ramp up production of the bigger model.

The entry-level iPhone 6 is being handled by Pegatron, Apple’s second lending hand in the manufacturing of its most popular devices.

iPhone 6 Plus shows strong demand

People who are familiar with the operations inside the factories assembling Apple’s iDevices are telling DigiTimes that “Sales of iPhone 6 Plus will be higher than expected, to account for 60% of total shipments of iPhone 6 devices.”

The estimate comes from recent shipments of analog ICs (integrated circuits) to Foxconn Electronics and Pegatron Technology, according to the report, which confirms that the former is in charge of the large model and the latter is handling the smaller version.

Foxconn receives more orders

Despite rumors of the iPhone 6 Plus bending easily, customers continue to have faith in the product. So much so that Apple has been prompted to ask Foxconn to produce higher numbers than the two parties had initially agreed on.

The sources reportedly say that “Shipments of IC parts to the two makers were almost at even initially, but Foxconn appears to have received more shipments recently.”

These industry people have also calculated, to some degree, that the iPad mini will see less demand because of the iPhone 6 Plus. That’s because the two have somewhat similar functionality, thanks mainly to the big display area of the iPhone 6 Plus.

But that’s a downside Apple can accept. After all, iPhone is its strongest business pillar. Foxconn, for its part, will gladly accept as many orders as it can receive from the company.

October 17 launch in China

It’s somewhat ironic that China, the land where these phones get assembled as fully working units, is actually not the first country to be able to buy them. Because of strict regulatory policies, the phone’s official debut was delayed this year. Customers in America, Europe, and other parts of the world (including Asia) are already buying the device in copious quantities.

Chinese customers will only be able to get their hands on the iPhone 6 on October 17. Pre-orders for the handsets officially begin on the 10th, but some retailers and carriers have already started taking reservations.

Also worth noting is that Chinese customers will be paying quite a lot for these phones. For instance, iPhone 6 will start at 5,288 (RMB) for the 16GB model. That’s $861 (US) or €681.