Rosenblatt analyst Jun Zhang tells clients that pre-orders for the iPhone 8 have come in well below the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6. Pre-orders started on Sept. 15 and the first models are due to arrive this Friday.
The firm’s Chinese market research shows 1.5 millions iPhone 8 pre-orders on JD.com in the first three days compared to 3.5 million for the iPhone 7. China Mobile’s iPhone 8 volume was about one million compared to 2.5 million for the iPhone 7 and 3.5 million for the iPhone 6. Zhang says pre-orders were also low in the United States.
“We understand many customers could be waiting for the iPhone X, but we are concerned iPhone 8/8 Plus sell-through could bring some headwinds,” he adds.