Apple will launch the iPhone 14 series earlier than expected this year, according to two distinct sources. The virtual press conference will reportedly happen on September 7th, which puts the iPhone 14’s release date on September 16th. That’s about a week earlier than Apple’s traditional mid-September iPhone announcement schedules.
Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reacted to the latest iPhone 14 launch rumor on Twitter, saying that Apple might be looking to reduce the impact of recession risks on demand.
Before these recent early iPhone 14 launch claims surfaced, we expected Apple to unveil the new handsets on September 13th and ship them 10 days later. Moving forward, the release schedule by a week gives Apple an additional week of full iPhone 14 sales this quarter.
As a reminder, sales start on the Friday after the iPhone keynote. That’s September 9th, if these reports are accurate.
Kuo has provided several details about Apple’s iPhone 14 development issues this year addressing launch concerns. The spring lockdowns in China might have delayed at least one mode of the four new iPhones. But as the lockdowns lifted, the analyst offered more insight into Apple’s regional supply chain, saying that production was on schedule.
Later, Kuo highlighted production issues with various essential iPhone 14 components. That included the high-end OLED panels, the faster LPDDR5 RAM, and rear camera components.
While these are all unofficial accounts of what happens behind the scenes, Kuo has reassured fans that Apple has been able to quickly respond and fix any manufacturing issues that would have disrupted supply. Therefore, the iPhone 14 launch would not be impacted.
Separately, reports said that Apple is bumping iPhone 14 production goals, looking to manufacture 95 million units this year, 5 million more than the initial order.
While governments and economists are not ready to call a recession, the risk remains. And that’s Kuo’s argument in his new tweets. Given the unpredictable economy, Apple wants to launch the iPhone 14 as soon as possible to minimize the impact of a recession on demand.
The iPhone has been a strong performer despite the economic headwinds in the past few years. iPhone 11 demand was robust despite the pandemic. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 sold just as well despite rising inflation, especially this year. The iPhone 13 has been defying the economy, with demand remaining high while Android vendors struggled.
Morover, Kuo envisions strong demand for the iPhone 14 as well. He said in previous remarks that Apple will see stronger sales in China than the iPhone 13, which is already doing well in the region.
This is all speculation, however. It’s unlikely that Apple will explain its early iPhone 14 launch schedule. But if that September 7th event date is accurate, we should see Apple announce the press conference on August 31st.
More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.
