Apple Forecasts iPhone 6 Blowout In Excess Of 71 Million Units In Q4

While Samsung is reportedly getting ready to shake up management over disappointing sales of its flagship Galaxy S5 device, rival Apple continues to celebrate another record iPhone launch. Looking forward, the Cupertino outfit expects to ship more than 71.5 million iPhones in the fourth quarter, based on a report by KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. If Kuo's prediction comes to fruition, it will represent an 82 percent sequential jump in shipments.

Out ahead of the pack is the iPhone 6 -- Kuo expects the 4.7-inch device to see 41.75 million shipments, which would account for nearly 60 percent of all iPhone sales for the quarter, while the iPhone 6 Plus is expected to add another 15.1 million units to the tally.


The iPhone 6 Plus is Apple's biggest smartphone to date. It has a 5.5-inch display and is the more talked about handset of the two, though it's not always positive chatter -- there have been reports that the iPhone 6 Plus is prone to bending, even from just normal usage. Nevertheless, it's seeing relatively high demand with an apparent supply shortage, according to Kuo's report.

Looking even further ahead to the first quarter of 2015, Kuo expects to see a contraction in sales for all iPhone models, save for the iPhone 5C and iPhone 4S variants, which are expected to grow 77.3 percent and 58.2 percent, respectively. Promotional pricing and the focus on emerging markets are reasons why Kuo believes those two handsets will see a bump in shipments next year.