Report: Apple expects iPhone 12 to shift more than 100m units in 2020

Apple is forecasting that it will need more than 100 million iPhone 12 units from its supply chain partners according to a new report. That report comes from the notirously unreliable DigiTimes (via 9to5Mac), however.

Little is known about what iPhone 12 will offer but 5G connectivity is expected to be a driving force behind huge demand in 2020, according to the report. While faster network speeds will be popular among buyers, the new iPhone refresh is also expected to see more design changes than in previous years. And iPhone sales do tend to increase following an external redesign.

DigiTimes says that its report is based on forecasts that Apple has provided to the supply chain in order to allow them to get their ducks in a row for next year. However, with iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro expected to sell a combined 80 million units, the jump to north of 100 million does seem excessive. Is 5G demand really that high? No iPhone currently offers 5G but that doesn't seem to be preventing them from selling.

It isn't yet clear whether the inclusion of 5G support will see iPhone sales driven higher, as has been the case with 5G versions of Android phones so far. Given Apple's reduction of the starting price for iPhones in 2019, an increase in 2020 would be difficult for many to stomach.