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The media has devoted a lot of airtime in recent days to the supposedly anemic demand for the newly revealed iPhone 16 lineup. Even if such preliminary anecdotes do ultimately end up vindicated, Apple’s annual launch cadence remains an intricate logistics exercise that would give an entire orchestra a run for its money.
To wit, FlightAware has now made available a dedicated page to track UPS flights carrying millions of iPhone handsets to the US ahead of the official launch of Apple’s latest flagship series this Friday.
FlightAware has a page up tracking the UPS planes loaded with iPhones heading to the US for Friday’s launch. Assuming roughly 300,000 iPhones fit a 747-8F, just one group planes near Alaska was hauling $2,330,200,000 ($2.3 billion) worth of iPhones this morning. pic.twitter.com/VcpDZV2gIc — Sebastiaan de With (@sdw) September 18, 2024
Assuming a single 747-8F plane carries 300,000 units of the iPhone, netizens recently tracked 2.1 million handsets that were supposedly making their way to the continental US via a group of 7 UPS flights as they cruised over Alaska. Cumulatively, this group of planes is hauling iPhones worth around $2.3 billion, based on an estimated volume of 2.1 million units and an ASP of $1,095.
Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, there are signs that the AI-led upgrade supercycle that Apple had been banking on for the iPhone 16 lineup might not materialize.
First, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently flagged a 12 percent year-over-year decline in iPhone 16’s first-weekend sales relative to what was recorded when iPhone 15 launched last year.
Next, analysts at Barclays, JP Morgan, and the Bank of America (BofA) have all recently warned about the relatively softer demand for the iPhone 16 lineup, particularly the Pro models.
Barclays recently noted:
Apple Tagged Hauling iPhone 16 Units Worth ~$2.3 Billion Via Just 1 Group Of UPS Flights
