KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 ― Apple has just announced its quarterly fiscal Q4 2022 results, which sets a new September quarter record revenue of US$90.1 billion (about RM425 billion). Although it missed some expectations, sales are up for the iPhone, Mac, accessories and services.
The new iPhone 14 lineup which was launched recently is seen as the main sales driver for the last few months of the year. The new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro series were revealed significantly earlier this time and they went on sale in Malaysia on September 16.
While the all-new iPhone 14 Plus received a lukewarm response, Apple’s more expensive iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max seem to have greatly exceeded Apple’s own expectations. From the looks of it, the demand is so great that Apple is now struggling to make enough iPhone 14 Pro stocks to keep up with demand.
Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC’s Steve Kovach, “We’re constrained right now on the 14 Pro and Pro Max and have been from the day we launched...and so obviously we’re chasing supply there and trying to get as much supply as we can to solve the demand.”
He also shared Apple’s performance in phone sales was strong despite signs that other smartphone companies are struggling with a recent decrease in demand. Interestingly, he said Apple has grown “switches”, a term to describe users who are switching from Android to iOS.
Tim also shared that the supply issues didn’t significantly affect Apple during the period after several quarters where supply shortages did affect Apple’s sales. He added that the company was paying less for some memory chips.
In the US, it has been reported that the iPhone has overtaken Android in market share, accounting for more than 50 per cent of active smartphone users for the first time in the last quarter.
At the time of writing, it appears that the shortage of supply has also impacted potential iPhone 14 Pro buyers in Malaysia. On Apple’s official online store, the lower iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus currently have stocks available while the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max now have an estimated waiting time of 3-4 weeks. The iPhone 14 is officially priced from RM4,199 while the iPhone 14 Pro starts from RM5,299 in Malaysia. ― SoyaCincau
