Year-end Peak Arrives... iPhone Expected to Sell 80 Million Units in Q4 Alone

On October 8, when Apple's 'iPhone 13' series was officially released in Korea, citizens were examining the products at the Apple Store Garosugil branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Despite recent semiconductor chip shortages, Apple is expected to sell 80 million iPhones during the year-end shopping season in the fourth quarter (October to December).

IT specialist media AppleInsider reported this on the 16th (local time), citing Wedbush's investor note. Daniel Ives, Wedbush's senior analyst, said, "Despite semiconductor chip shortages and logistics disruptions, the Apple iPhone 13 is showing tremendous demand in the US, China, and other markets," adding, "This is a positive sign that Apple could exceed 80 million iPhone shipments this quarter." The fourth quarter corresponds to the first quarter of Apple's fiscal year 2022.

He mentioned that the delivery times for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro continue to be delayed and assessed that current demand exceeds supply by about 15%. Additionally, he estimated that about half, or 40 million units, will be sold during the year-end shopping season from Black Friday through the Christmas holidays. The market had initially expected the annual iPhone sales, including the iPhone 13, to increase by double digits from the previous year to around 230 million units.

Wireless earphones, AirPods, are also expected to approach shipments of 100 million units. Ives, the senior analyst, added that the wireless headphone segment is also showing signs of strong performance.