Apple will not announce the first official iPhone 16 sales figures until it releases its quarterly results on October 31 However, some sales data on the iPhone 16 model is beginning to emerge

The new numbers come from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who posted on X that the four new iPhones are seeing just about the same amount of assembly orders However, overall demand for the iPhone 16 base model is down, indicating that customers are favoring the two iPhone 16 Pro models

iPhone production is primarily in China, and Kuo is fairly well-informed when it comes to Apple's supply chain partners According to the analyst, Apple wants its suppliers to continue production of the two Pro models during China's National Day holiday Kuo said this shows that demand for these models is meeting Apple's expectations

“Demand for the 16 base model and 16 Plus remains lackluster compared to last year,” Kuo wrote

Going forward, Kuo expects Apple to produce between 88 and 89 million iPhone 16 units during the year-end quarter, which is consistent with his previous forecast It is also lower than the 90 to 91 million iPhone 15 models Apple produced during the same period last year

Regarding the shipment timing of the iPhone 16 Pro, Kuo noted that despite stable demand, the shipment period is shorter than last year's model This suggests that Apple has sufficient supply on hand this time around

Kuo also noted that Apple is preparing for the possibility of a US sales boost as the device's Apple Intelligence features are coming this month via the iOS 181 update (These features are currently available as a public beta) Kuo said, “The next focus will be on the impact on US market demand/shipments after Apple Intelligence becomes available in late October”

While we have high praise for Kuo's Apple forecast, we want to emphasize that these numbers are only estimates, and only Apple knows what iPhone 16 sales will be like For now, the company is simply highlighting the strong word of mouth surrounding the phone and the anticipation of the Apple Intelligence debut this month