Does Apple Expect Strong Demand For ‘Ugly’ iPhone 11?

Apple has been struggling to make big sales in the Chinese market. Will the Cupertino tech giant win the Chinese market with the upcoming iPhone 11? Here’s a quick look at what Apple and the consumers are saying.

Recent reports and leaks offer glimpses at the Cupertino tech giant’s upcoming handsets known as the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Max and iPhone 11R. These devices feature upgraded cameras, faster processors, and some more upgrades. Despite these upgrades, some people think the iPhone 11 is “ugly” because it placed all cameras in a square box. Will the new camera module be a deal breaker?

Here’s a quick look at what Apple and the people have to say about the upcoming iPhone 11:

Apple: We see stable demand

According to Bloomberg, Apple expects to see better demand this year compared to the previous year. The company expects to sell more 2019 iPhones compared to the number of iPhones it was able to sell to consumers this year, especially in China.

Apple’s suppliers are gearing up to produce components that will be used on up to 75 million new iPhone units this year. “People familiar with the matter” say this might be roughly similar to the number of iPhones produced a year earlier. Some of Apple’s Asian partners might even produce up to 80 million iPhone units if needed, another anonymous source said.

Apple’s Asian partners are working to prepare for production. Foxconn, for example, has ramped up efforts to enlarge its workforce in time for peak production season. Other Apple suppliers are also reported to have made gains.

Analysts Jeff Pu (from GF Securities) and Ming-Chi Kuo (from TF International) both estimate that Apple will sell a lot of iPhones this year. Pu estimates that shipments will rise to 74 million, while Kuo predicts that Cupertino will sell 75 to 80 million units this year.

Chinese consumers: It’s ugly

Chinese consumers, on the other hand, aren’t as excited as Apple. According to a Hong Kong based tech site named Abacus, the “reactions from Chinese netizens are overwhelmingly negative.” An informal poll conducted online “shows over 90% of more than 750,000 respondents say the iPhone 11 doesn’t look good.”

Popular comments on Chinese site Weibo say the iPhone 11 is “ugly.” One commenter even went as far as saying “Huawei’s 5G phone is going to trash [the new iPhone] in seconds,” obviously indicating that Huawei’s 5G is more appealing than the iPhone’s square camera module.

Wait and see

Does this mean Apple should just stop producing its new iPhones? Not at all. Apple hasn’t unveiled the new device yet, and just might have surprises up its sleeve. Fans are advised to wait and see how the new iPhones fare in the market.