Skip to main content

With stronger than expected demand for iPhone 6 Plus, Apple reportedly shifting some production away from iPhone 6

 

 

Following some statistical analysis from yesterday that indicated the iPhone 6 usage ratio was beginning to favor iPhone 6 Plus, Digitimes now reports that Apple is following through on market shifts with production schedule adjustments.

Digitimes says that with iPhone 6 Plus exceeding expectations, Apple has asked the supply chain to move some production away from its 4.7 inch phone. This will mean that shipments for iPhone 6 will fall by 3-4 million units to accommodate the change in production lines.

The iPhone 6 Plus has been consistently out of stock since its debut. This supply readjustment may help ease the backlog. However, the report warns that changes to retail channel are not immediate and there is a time lag between supply side adjustments and retail availability. This means that delays are still expected for the near term.

Demand for Apple’s newest phones is only going to be amplified by the introduction of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to China later this month. It is expected for China to have a significantly higher relative demand ratio for 6 Plus’s (over iPhone 6) due to cultural reasons which make big phones especially appealing. One report showed that reservations for iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 were neck and neck, whereas in the Western world the iPhone 6 is expected to outnumber the 6 Plus by a good margin.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. icatsoftware - 9 years ago

    You must be joking. Check availability for reservation on all Apple retail stores. iPhone 6 plus is ALWAYS available where iPhone 6 (black 64) is ALWAYS unavailable.

    • 89p13 - 9 years ago

      Not here – the only iPhone 6 that I can find in-store is the 6 with 16GB – and locked to a carrier.

      6 / 6Plus with 64 or 128 – ALWAYS out of stock for local pickup! And to try and get an iPhone 6Plus, 128 unlocked (T-Mobile) is the Holy Grail!

      I’m still 3 weeks away (according to the Apple web site) from seeing my 6Plus 128GB Unlocked.

      • yuniverse7 - 9 years ago

        Is T-mobile version from Apple really unlocked? Isn’t it just called out-of-contract? I believe it’s still locked to T-mobile.

      • charlesholtmusic - 9 years ago

        I was able to purchase a 6 plus 128GB T-Mobile yesterday at the Apple Store on 14th street NY… I was the first one in line so that helped.

      • dcj001 - 9 years ago

        @yuniverse7

        Apple’s website refers to the T-Mobile iPhones as Contract-Free. But the email receipt that I received said – iPhone 6 64GB Space Gray (GSM).

        When buying this iPhone from Apple, it is an unlocked GSM iPhone that comes with a T-Mobile SIM card. When buying this iPhone from T-Mobile, it is an locked to T-Mobile, and may be unlcoked in GSM per T-Mobile’s unlocking guidelines.

      • Misha K Kofman - 9 years ago

        @charlesholtmusic what time did you have to start getting in line?

      • charlesholtmusic - 9 years ago

        @Misha K Kofman I arrived around 5:30, but it started getting packed around 6:15… I was reading a book so time flew by…

    • manzzle - 9 years ago

      Well no where the tristate of New York can I find a gold 64gb iPhone 6 Plus Unlocked (T-Mobile) or any of the 6 plus in all sizes and colors for T-Mobile.

    • Dudikus (@Dudikus) - 9 years ago

      In NYC iPhone 6+ is not unavailable at any store locations since the launch time.

      • Robert Cockey - 9 years ago

        Is that for all colors and memory size? I can go buy an iPhone 6 plus here in South Carolina but I can not get it in the configuration I want.

    • My Thoughts (@_8978) - 9 years ago

      In Australia, some carriers have completely stopped taking pre-orders (almost a month after they began) trying to catch up with the backlog of iPhone Plus orders….

    • not here or anywhere i’ve checked

    • al0963 - 9 years ago

      Not in New York, my friend walked into a Sprint store and he wanted the 6+ and they told him that nobody has the 6+ and he walked out with the 6

    • Harold Irizarry - 9 years ago

      Not in Florida. I went to the Apple Store and the guy told me they have had several iPhone 6 but they aren’t getting any pluses. He even told me no one was looking for the iPhone 6, everyone wants the plus.

    • spiralynth - 9 years ago

      Well, one thing is perfectly clear from this thread (as if it already wasn’t): load up on AAPL.

    • Mike Kelley - 9 years ago

      As others have said, not sure where you are located but I can assure you that in the Southeast U.S. (the ENTIRE southeast) there is not an iPhone 6 plus to be had (and my order from Apple is still two to three weeks away from getting to me).

      This changed relatively recently — as recent as last week I could have driven 300 miles and gotten one in the neighboring state of Georgia but even *I’m* not that anxious (and now it’s no longer available even there).

    • Sally Larsen - 9 years ago

      It’s right the opposite here in California. Everyone has the iPhone 6, No one has the iPhone 6 plus and they don’t expect to get them for at least 4 more weeks.

  2. PMZanetti - 9 years ago

    I’m loving the 6 Plus.

    • islandgirl45 - 9 years ago

      Do you think the 6+ would be suitable for someone with smaller-size hands? My 50-something eyes likely would appreciate Display Zoom on this phone because I use my 5c mostly for texting and data … less for phone calls. I haven’t yet gone to a store to check out the different sizes.

      • al0963 - 9 years ago

        I think you should go to a store and try it first, i have small hands, i am 5’7″ and i fell in love with the 6+ but i know i am compromising some one handed use but if you wanna go big might as well get the 6+ but dont take my words for it because to each its own and go to the store and try both!!

      • misaligned2014 - 9 years ago

        Yes, I think you will love a 6+. I’m a girl with small hands and I went and tried one in the Apple Store and loved it. Definitely go to the store and try one with your own hands before ordering.

  3. I haven’t really checked any stores for the 6/6 plus. I was awaiting my preorder of the 6 plus 64G which arrived a little sooner than I expected, last Friday. I love the phone!!

  4. manzzle - 9 years ago

    So have I been going about it wrong by checking to see if I can pick one up on apple’s site around 3am to pickup in store and it always saying unavailable. I just don’t want to waste time going to a store and saying they don’t have any. I was in line on September 19th at the westchester mall and they sold out of the tmobile 6 plus like in 30 min of opening

    • Go to the Apple site and preorder. You might have a better result. I ordered on 9/12 as they instructed. UPS delivered on 10/3.

      • manzzle - 9 years ago

        Lucky, I put my order in on September 21 and it’s still in the “processing item” stage with delivery between Oct 21-28. But now folks on here saying they go to the store and walk out with 6 Plus got me wanting to head to a store now.

      • Yeah I was tempted too when a couple family members and friends picked up theirs the day of the release. I refused to wait on a line or be disappointed if they’re not more in stock. “Patience is a virtue” 😊

  5. crateish (@crateish) - 9 years ago

    Bought Plus on spec expecting to trade for non-Plus.

    Sticking with Plus.

  6. repentantgamer - 9 years ago

    You’re better off reading The Onion than Digitimes for predictions about Apple. Their source of news appears to be a giant anus from which they pull “insider information” out of.

  7. RP - 9 years ago

    After lusting for a larger iPhone myself for many years, I bought the regular 6 but returned it and upgraded to the 5s instead.
    I love a larger screen but realized it was not practical for me as my primary phone.

    Now I am lusting for a 4.3 iPhone 7 as my next daily phone.

  8. So does this mean no 4 inch iPhone for the foreseeable future?

    • RP - 9 years ago

      I sure hope there’s an option for a smaller iPhone in the future. But 4″ is a bit too small a screen. I’ve used 4.3″ Android phones that are the same physical size as Apple’s iPhone 5s, and that little bit of screen size goes a long way. But I’ll be happy to see a 4″ iPhone 7 in the future too.

  9. al0963 - 9 years ago

    Getting my 6+ on thursday, and i ordered it the day of the pre-order so that was Sept 12, but anyways yuuuupiiii

  10. g da great (@gdagreat) - 9 years ago

    i had a 6+ pre-order that said 4-6 weeks wait time…i cancelled it and found one the same day using this site…walked to target and yup, it was there. idevicechecker.com/

  11. dennyc69 - 9 years ago

    I’m still waiting for my 6 Plus 64 gig. My order went in on 9/20 so I don’t expect to see it very soon, but I’d like to be surprised.

  12. dennyc69 - 9 years ago

    I just checked that website http://idevicechecker.com/, not one 6 Plus in site for my area, amazing

  13. That’s crazy to me. I got a regular 6 and I feel like it’s huge. I really struggle to use it with one hand.

  14. John Gajewski III - 9 years ago

    Why the hell is Apple releasing in other countries when they can’t even keep the promises they made to people in their home country? I’ve been waiting for 3 weeks for my 6 plus and I still have another 3 weeks to go. I’m this far from switching to android! #BadApple

  15. Roger Barnes (@medic165) - 9 years ago

    What will the lead times be with Apple rolling out iPhones to all the additional countries this month. They can’t fill the orders they have now.

  16. loco medic (@MedicLoco) - 9 years ago

    There is no iPhone 6 plus anywhere in the NorthEast coast, I tried NYC, or NY State, No where in NJ, Non in CT, and non any where in PA. What I did see was a lot of asian on line buying again and again the iPhone 6, to resell them back for a profit. The best thing is to order the phone on line and track it coming from china.

  17. Ben_Held (@Ben_Held) - 9 years ago

    The Sprint store in Downtown Portland where i have had a 6+/Space Gray/128g Iphone reserved for over 2 months now(I Didnt reserve one before Launch because Manager told me there’d be “Extras”)told me today that they have yet to even see the model I reserved come in to their store at any time since the launch😢

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.