Apple ups production of iPhone 11 as demand surges: Report
San Francisco, Oct 4 (IANS) Owing to a surge in demand for the new iPhones globally, Apple has asked its suppliers to increase production of its latest iPhone 11 range by up to 10 per cent or 8 million units, the Nikkei Asian Review reported on Friday.
“This autumn is so far much busier than we expected. Previously, Apple was quite conservative about placing orders. After the increase, prepared production volume for the iPhone 11 series will be higher compared to last year,” the report said, quoting a source.
The iPhone 11’s pricing strategy has worked well for the consumers in India too as the devices went out-of-stock at both Amazon India and Flipkart in just three days after the pre-booking was thrown open on September 20.
Heralding a perfect Diwali for Apple, iPhone lovers on September 27 thronged Apple Authorised Resellers and premium stores across India to grab new iPhones 11.
“The increase in orders appears to validate Apple CEO Tim Cook’s new strategy of enticing budget-conscious consumers with cheaper models amid the weakening world economy,” said the report.
“The order boost of between 7 million and 8 million units is equivalent to total annual phone shipments this year by Google, a rising iPhone rival in Apple’s home US market,” it added.
The entry price for the iPhone 11 is Rs 64,900 for the 64GB storage variant while the 128GB variant costs Rs 69,900 and the 256GB option is priced at Rs 79,900 in India.
iPhone 11 Pro’s 64GB, 256GB and 512GB variants are priced at Rs 99,900, Rs 1,13,900, and Rs 1,31,900, respectively.
iPhone 11 Pro Max has been priced starting at Rs 1,09,900 for the 64GB base variant and the 256GB and 512GB storage variants for iPhone 11 Pro Max will cost Rs 1,23,900 and Rs 1,41,900, respectively.
Nonetheless, suppliers remain cautious and said they were concerned that the higher level of orders would not be sustained.
“Demand is good for now. But we have to be careful not to be too optimistic. I hope that this year’s peak season lasts longer than last year,” said the report, quoting one executive-level source.
