Analyst

KGI: 2017 iPhones to sport glass front/back, stainless steel edges on high-end models

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 29, 2016

Back in April, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the Tenth Anniversary iPhone would undergo significant design changes, ditching the LCD screen and unibody aluminum casing for an all-glass enclosure and a wraparound AMOLED panel protected by curved 2.5 glass cover on the front.

In a new report issued to clients today, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider, Kuo says that there is “increasing likelihood” that all 2017 iPhones will have all-glass front and back, with a high-end iPhone 8 model adopting a stainless steel metal frame rather than aluminum.

Pegatron CEO and Piper Jaffray slam analysts who predicted poor iPhone 7 sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

The CEO of Pegatron, a Taiwanese contract manufacturer that assembles Apple handsets along with Foxconn, told Nikkei Asian Review he remained “cautiously optimistic” about iPhone 7 sales.

His comment targets a recent analyst report from KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo predicting fewer iPhone 7 sales in 2016 than the iPhone 6s garnered in 2015. Analyst firm Piper Jaffray, too, downplayed Kuo's negative report in an interview with AppleInsider, saying it's seeing similarities to the monster iPhone 6 upgrade cycle.

Top Apple analyst expects fewer iPhone 7 sales than iPhone 6s garnered in 2015

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 26, 2016

Despite Note 7 fires and carriers suggesting iPhone 7 sellouts, top Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities isn't entirely convinced that strong consumer demand will offset slowing shipments. In a note to clients obtained by AppleInsider, Kuo predicted 70-75 million iPhone 7 sales in 2016—lower than that of the iPhone 6s in 2015.

Kuo cautions that strong iPhone 7 sales are not “not entirely due to market demand” because carrier promotions inflated sales numbers and a larger amount of launch countries led to depleted inventories worldwide.

Apple customers spend an estimated $1 per day

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 24, 2016

A lot has been said about Apple's various services like the iTunes and App Stores, Apple Pay, Apple Music, Apple Care and others now making more money than its Mac business. In the June quarter, for example, the Services category shot up 20 percent year-over-year, raking in nearly $6 billion in quarterly revenue and making Services the second largest part of Apple's revenue overall.

Services allow Apple to generate a steady stream of revenue from existing devices, leading Asymco analyst Horace Dediu to estimate in an interview with The Financial Times that, including hardware and software, existing Apple customers currently spend around $1 per day.

Deutsche Bank analysts think iPhone 7 will ship with Lightning-to-audio dongle

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2016

The next iPhone, which sources in China think could be marketed as ‘iPhone 6SE’ to reflect its iterative nature, may ship with a Lightning-to-audio dongle and still end up selling better than the current-generation iPhone 6s, which hasn't quite lived up to Apple's internal expectations.

That's according to a Deutsche Bank research note issued to clients last week, a copy of which was obtained by Business Insider. The investment bankers also shared their predictions for the next iPhone's features, based on their supply checks.

“’P.S. spelling counts here”

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2016

In May 2013, Apple offered industry analyst Michael Gartenberg to join its marketing team under the leadership of Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.

He took the job without hesitation and lasted nearly three years on it before resigning in December 2015. Gartenberg, who is currently with iMore, maintains that “Apple is probably one of the best places in the world to work” and tells a little anecdote that highlights how far Apple's attention to detail goes.

Analysts corroborate claim of alleged iPhone 7 Force Touch Home button

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2016

Cowen and Company analysts have corroborated an unconfirmed story which two days ago reiterated prior reports that the next iPhone would sport a Home button with haptic feedback to simulate a click, using the same approach as Force Touch on the Apple Watch.

Citing “field checks” to back up its research and projections, the analysts were quoted by Business Insider as saying that this new Home button will sit flush with the rest of the iPhone 7. They also expect the device will lack a headphone jack and will be waterproof, as previous rumors have suggested.

Analyst: iPhone 8 will rock Galaxy Edge-like wraparound AMOLED screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2016

IHS Technologies analyst Kevin Wang writes on Chinese social network Weibo that the iPhone 8, which we believe will release in the fall of 2017, will come outfitted with a dual-curved display similar to that found on Samsung's flagship Galaxy S7 edge, for a virtually bezel-less appearance. He also said just yesterday the next iPhone would replace the entry-level 16GB tier with a more capacious 32GB SKU.

Both iPhone 7 models to include 256GB version, replacing 64GB with 128GB SKU?

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2016

Leaked components and sketchy rumors have led us to take for granted the theory that only the flagship, pricier iPhone 7 Plus model will exclusively include a new capacious 256-gigabyte model.

That assumption is now being challenged by researchers at TrendForce.

The research firm reported on Wednesday that the rumored 256GB SKU will actually extend to both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models, possibly even replacing the most popular 64GB storage model.

Analyst sees Apple finally dropping much-loathed 16GB iPhone from lineup

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2016

Apple could be finally ditching the oft-criticized sixteen-gigabyte iPhone from the mix and replace it with a thirty-two gigabyte SKU as the new baseline model. That's if you believe what an IHS Technology analyst posted on Chinese social media this morning, as per 9to5Mac.

KGI: Apple to produce one iPhone 7 Plus model with dual lens and 3GB RAM

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 11, 2016

In somewhat surprising news, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo—arguably the most reliable Apple analyst out there—says there'll be one, not two iPhone 7 Plus models. Previous rumors have pointed to three different configurations: a regular 4.7-inch 'iPhone 7', a larger-screened 5.5-inch 'iPhone 7 Plus' and a so-called 'iPhone 7 Pro' with premium hardware features.

According to Kuo's note to clients, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, Apple plans to produce a single iPhone 7 Plus model. That 'Plus' edition should be the 'Pro' iPhone you've been waiting for: it'll come outfitted with a dual-lens camera system and have three gigabytes of RAM versus two gigabytes of RAM on the iPhone 6s generation.

One of the most reliable Apple analysts doesn’t see “many attractive selling points for iPhone 7”

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has arguably the strongest track record among his peers when it comes to anticipating unreleased Apple products. That being said, his most recent research note that he issued to clients last evening is something of a surprise to ardent Apple watchers.

In it, the revered analyst pours cold water on various iPhone 7 expectations, stating he doesn’t see “many attractive selling points” for the upcoming handset. A copy of Kuo's note to clients was obtained by AppleInsider.

As a matter of fact, Kuo believes Apple will be the only top-five smartphone vendor to see its shipments decline this year before they rebound in 2018, in time for a rumored monster iPhone 8 refresh.