Apple Reportedly Starting ‘iPhone 8’ Production Early: Report

Apple is planning to start production of the new iPhone 8 earlier than expected, according to Bluefin Research, but this doesn’t necessarily change the launch date of the new device, so the September unveiling still seems to be very likely.

In a note to investors via Barron’s, BlueFin analysts John Donovan and Steve Mullane reveal that they receive signals Apple is ramping up production of the next iPhone, especially because the Cupertino-based company expects the device to sell in bigger number than its predecessors.

“The most intriguing data points that we have uncovered suggests that [Apple] is ramping the next generation iPhones earlier than historical norms, although we have no indication that there has been any change in release plans for the iPhone 8/X,” reads the research firm’s note.

“Builds have been pulled in a few months while aggregate next generation forecasts have increased 10% from last month to 122M,” the note continues. “Additionally, [Apple] has adjusted iPhone 7, 7 Plus, and SE production downward in preparation for the next generation launch.”

The presumably-called iPhone 8 will represent the most substantial makeover of the iPhone since the debut of the iPhone 6, and Apple is expected to benefit from an inflow of new buyers, but also from existing customers who upgrade their old devices.

There are also some sources who are speculating how early production will let Apple iron out snags and kinks to the hardware to avoid Samsung’s mistake with the Galaxy Note 7. This is also a legitimate variable, and most importantly, it reinforces the expected drastic hardware changes that Apple would be implementing in the ‘iPhone 8’.

The production increase, however, is aligned with recent official reports so far, particularly that about Apple CEO Tim Cook professing a high level of enthusiasm before investors for the device’s market prospects. Apple’s recent Q1 showed 78.3 million iPhones sold, a record number.