Bank drops its estimate of 2023 iPhone 15 series production by a whopping 13.1%

Earlier this month, we told you that analyst Jeff Pu had reduced his forecast of 2023 iPhone 15 series production by 7.2% from 83 million to 77 million. Pu gave two reasons for the cut in estimates. One, suppliers have been having issues in getting components shipped in the quantity needed by Apple. These supplies include Sony's camera sensors, the titanium chassis for the iPhone 15 Pro models, and the new displays with thinner bezels.

The second reason has to do with an expected drop in demand for these phones. Pu said, "The build plan cut before launch isn't a positive signal, and the potential price hike for iPhone 15 Pro Max could also dampen the end demand." Rumors call for a possible $100 price hike for the iPhone 15 Pro and a $200 raise for the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra.

Now, its Japanese banking firm Mizuho's turn to reduce 2023 production estimates for the iPhone 15 line. According to 9to5Mac, the bank used a sharper knife than Pu to cut its estimates from 84 million to 73 million. That's a cut of 11 million or 13.1%, not quite twice the cut that Pu is calling for. For the full year of 2023, Mizuho sees Apple producing 217 million iPhone units, down 10 million or 4.4% from the 227 million originally forecast.

Consumers already planning to pull the trigger on the purchase of a new iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra could not have been happy to read last week's headline about a possible delay in shipments for the model until October. This is supposedly the fault of the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra's periscope lens, the first time an iPhone will be equipped with such a feature. The periscope lens folds inside the phone and uses prisms to reflect the light from the lens to the sensor allowing for greater optical zoom capabilities. The iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra could see its optical zoom go from 3x to 6x.

Sony, as we noted, is having issues getting its camera sensors for the top-of-the-line 2023 iPhone delivered in time. So while we could see a September 22 release date for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra might not arrive until three to four weeks have passed from that date. That would mean that the most premium 2023 iPhone model could be delayed until October 20th.

We've seen split releases before. Just last year the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max were released on September 16th while the iPhone 14 Plus was delayed until October 8th. On September 22nd, 2017, Apple released the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. The iPhone X, with a radical redesign, wasn't released until November 3rd.