According to Wamsi Mohan, a global securities analyst at Bank of America, there is a possibility that Apple’s launch of the iPhone 15 series might be delayed by a “few weeks.” This potential delay would push the debut of the next-generation smartphone lineup beyond its usual September timeframe. Mohan arrived at this prediction after conducting channel checks in Apple’s supply chain.
As per Mohan’s research note obtained by Barrons, the launch could potentially slip into the fourth quarter, spanning from October to December. He expressed concern that this delay could lead to disappointing guidance for the third quarter, which might not align with Wall Street analysts’ expectations.
Based on his analysis, Mohan now anticipates September quarter revenue to be $87.1 billion, falling well below the consensus estimate of $91.6 billion. Even with a 2.5% positive impact from favorable foreign-exchange rates, the revenue outlook remains lower than expected. The analyst also expects sales of 48 million iPhone units in the September quarter, lower than the Street consensus forecast of 51 million units.
It’s worth noting that Mohan did not provide a specific reason for the alleged iPhone 15 launch delay, and there have been no corroborating reports from other sources suggesting such a delay. Therefore, his prediction should be taken with caution.
Last year, Apple faced production disruptions due to Chinese lockdowns at manufacturing sites, which resulted in the iPhone 14 Plus launching in October, a month after the other models in the iPhone 14 series.
This year, Apple is likely to maintain its four iPhone lineup strategy, unveiling the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. As in previous years, the iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to include features not available in the more affordable iPhone 15 devices.
Looking ahead to Apple’s latest earnings release, which is just two weeks away, Mohan believes that the company’s June quarter results will mostly align with Street estimates. However, he anticipates year-over-year sales declines in every Apple hardware category for the quarter.
