iPhone 14 Pro lead times show that demand could be higher than expected

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
(Image credit: Apple)

Lead times for the iPhone 14 Pro are putting it in a category of iPhone success that few others have seen so far.

In a note to investors from Morgan Stanley's new Apple analyst Erik Woodring that was acquired by AppleInsider, demand for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max might be higher than even Apple anticipated.

Woodring looked into lead times for Apple's new iPhone lineup so far, a metric that indicates how long it takes for the iPhone to get to a customer after they have ordered one. According to the analysis, lead times for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are some of the longest they've been in as much as six years.

In the US, iPhone 14 Pro Max has the longest lead time of any model released in the last six years at similar times after debut, at 36.5 days. Lead times for iPhone 14 Pro is the third longest of any model in the same timeframe at 29.5 days, on par with the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max released in 2021.

What does this mean?

All the colors of iPhone 14

All the colors of iPhone 14 (Image credit: Apple)

While lead times are only one success metric, it is a nod in the direction of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max receiving strong customer demand so far. The iPhone 14, in comparison, has a lead time of only six days, indicating demand for the regular iPhone models is weaker than the Pro models.

There isn't any lead time analysis for the new iPhone 14 Plus yet as, while that model is available for preorder now, it does not release to customers until October 7.

The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max will launch on Friday, September 16. In addition, the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) will also launch tomorrow.

Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.