Apple analyst from KGI Ming-Chi Kuo, who has definitely proven a trustworthy source of information and predictions, forecasts year-on-year iPhone shipments will continue to fall in 2016. The total iPhone shipments for the year will likely fall below 200 million units ending up missing market expectations.
Furthermore, Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple won’t be able to recover from its peak iPhone times and as a result the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will see lower sales than its predecessors. The decline in sales for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is a result of the rise of replacement demand from emerging markets not being fast enough to cover the low demand from developed markets.
In spite of the reports and rumors of the next iPhone 7 bringing new features to the table like a dual-camera setup, KGI is pesimistic on Apple being able to recover.
Additionally, KGI is skeptical that the iPhone SE achieved 3.4 million pre-orders in China, as the company wasn’t able to back that number with solid evidence. We’ll see if this prediction will hold true once Apple’s 2016 financial report comes out.