14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has just launched the new iPhone SE, and the firm is working to bring to the market the iPhone 7 sometime in September, but company watchers expect sales of the iPhone lineup to continue to decline despite the arrival of these models.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI, says in a note to investors obtained by 9to5mac that iPhone shipments are expected to drop below 200 million units this year, as the iPhone 7 will most likely fail to boost demand.
What's worse is that the analyst predicts that iPhone 7 sales are likely to be even lower than those recorded by Apple for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which have actually been significantly below expectations until now.
iPhone 7 not expected to bring huge changes
One of the reasons the iPhone 7 is not forecast to lead to a spike in demand for new iPhones is the number of changes that the device is likely to bring for Apple customers.
Existing leaks have shown that the iPhone 7 will have a design that looks largely the same as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with a few exceptions, including antenna lines that have been moved to the top and bottom sides of the phone.
The most important change will concern the camera, but even here Apple is adopting a strategy that’s supposed to have a major impact on sales. Dual cameras are very likely to be part of the next iPhone generation, but contrary to expectations, the feature will only be offered on the iPhone 7 Plus. This means that the bigger iPhone is the only one to get it while the regular model with a 4.7-inch screen should come with the same “standard” camera, probably the one on the current versions but with small improvements.
Without a doubt, it’s all up to Apple at this point, as there’s still time to make the iPhone 7 a hit, so for the moment, our only option is to wait and see what Cupertino is working on for the iPhone lineup.