Due to unexpectedly high-demand, Apple is reportedly telling suppliers to boost production on the company’s entry-level iPhone 17 models. Specifically, The Information relays that Apple told Foxconn and other assemblers to increase production by 40%. That’s a significant increase and helped drive shares of Apple up to $245 before the close of trading on Friday.
Of course, without additional context it’s tough to discern exactly what’s going on. For example, it’s possible that iPhone 17 demand is higher simply because consumers are finding the iPhone 17 Pro models too expensive. Recall that the entry-level iPhone 16 Pro was priced at $999. The entry-level iPhone 17 Pro, meanwhile, starts at $1099.
A $200 price increase is no small thing, and is perhaps the reason behind the surge in iPhone 17 interest. Incidentally, Tim Cook told CNBC this week that the price increase has nothing to do with President Trump’s tariffs. “There’s no increase for tariffs in the prices to be totally clear,” Cook said.
This is Apple’s strongest iPhone lineup in years
As is typically the case, we’ll get a better gauge on how popular the iPhone 17 lineup is once Apple releases its quarterly earnings report in a few weeks. Until then, there’s growing evidence that this may be one of the biggest iPhone launches in several years. For instance, the South China Morning Post this week reported that iPhone 17 pre-orders in the first minute of availability already eclipsed the volume of iPhone 16 pre-orders from its first 24 hours.
As a personal example, I visited two of the bigger Apple retail stores in Chicago on Friday and saw absolutely massive lines out the door. At one location, there were so many people eager to purchase new iPhones that two lines formed in opposite directions outside the front entrance. I routinely visit Apple retail stores on iPhone launch day and can’t remember seeing lines this long, if any at all, in years. If you were one of those early adopters in line this past weekend, we have a list of things for you to do after unboxing your iPhone 17.