Apple’s iPhone XR went up on pre-order on Friday

Oct 20, 2018 08:20 GMT  ·  By

Apple’s iPhone XR is now available for pre-order, but early demand seems to indicate that the device may not experience the high sales that many people anticipated.

In fact, Gene Munster of Loup Ventures says, lead times for the iPhone XR appear to suggest that sales of this particular model are currently below those of the original iPhone X that launched last year.

“We were surprised to see that lead times remained entirely unchanged except for several SKUs on T-Mobile,” Munster explains in an analysis.

iPhone XR is the most affordable iPhone launched this year, and it comes with a $749 starting price in the United States. Apple itself expects this to become the best-selling model of the new generation, as people close to the matter said iPhone XR accounts for more than 50 percent of orders placed at suppliers.

iPhone XR shipping on October 26 for everyone

Munster points out that these estimates may not be entirely accurate, as there are no specifics available on the initial inventory that Apple has prepared for new iPhones.

“Drawing insights from lead times is not a science, given we don’t know how many phones Apple is able to produce. That said, over the years (dating back to the iPod), longer lead times have historically been an indicator of healthy demand and shorter lead times softer demand,” he says.

However, the weak initial demand for the iPhone XR doesn’t mean the device would be a complete failure. Instead, Munster believes there’s still a big change this model becomes the best-selling iPhone in the next 12 months and estimates it could account for 38 percent of new units in FY19.

More information on iPhone XR sales would probably surface next Friday when Apple actually begins shipping the device to the first customers who pre-ordered it.

Most iPhone XR SKUs can still be ordered right now from Apple’s online store with no delay in shipping time.