IPhone 17 Requests Continue To Exceed Analyst Expectations

High demand for the iPhone 17 line is still ongoing (photo: x @mtgproductions)

JAKARTA - High demand for the iPhone 17 line is still ongoing and goes beyond analyst estimates, according to a recent report from investment firm Morgan Stanley. Based on the initial sales trend, Apple is expected to slightly exceed Wall Street expectations for the quarter.

Morgan Stanley's report confirms the optimistic outlook previously conveyed by Wedbush on Apple's fourth-quarter revenue outlook. In a note to investors quoted by AppleInsider, analysts Morgan Stanley say that the surge in iPhone 17 demand has raised Apple's stake since its launch, and the trend is believed to last until the end of 2025.

Even so, analysts think Apple's advantage over market expectations won't be too big. They predict small positive growth for iPhone sales in the remainder of the year, accompanied by an increase in revenue from Apple's Services line.

Morgan Stanley maintains Apple's share price target at 298 US dollars per share. They are waiting for additional data from suppliers as well as sales from the 11/11 shopping festival in China before making further adjustments.

The report also notes that the iPhone Air has sold out in China, while data from India shows double-digit growth for the iPhone 2025 model compared to the previous year. The iPhone 17's new time waiting time is even longer than the iPhone 16 in the same period last year, especially in China, where the iPhone Air has a waiting time of 10.5 days longer than the iPhone 16 Plus.

According to supply chain sources, iPhone 17 orders could reach 95 million units in the second half of 2025. But Morgan Stanley still maintains conservative estimates at 90 million units. However, the team of analysts for the Chinese market has increased their projection by 4 million units, and even assessed that the figure may still be too low.

As a result, Morgan Stanley raised the projected sales of the iPhone in the September quarter to 56.9 million units, up two million from previously estimated. For the December quarter, Apple is expected to sell one million units more than Wall Street consensus, although this figure does not include sales of the iPhone Air in China.

Morgan Stanley insists that significant growth will only come from Apple's iPhone line and digital services. There has been no significant increase in iPad orders in recent months.

The firm also advises investors to pay attention to Apple's capital expenditure reports on future revenue exposures, as they can show the company's investment in Private Cloud Compute development.

Looking ahead, Morgan Stanley expects additional growth to come from the launch of Apple Intelligence in the spring of 2026, as well as the iPhone Fold debut scheduled to arrive in September 2026 although several reports say its launch could be delayed until 2027.

If this trend continues, the iPhone 17 appears to be extending Apple's dominance in the premium mobile market, as well as reinforcing investor confidence that the iPhone AI era has just begun.