Apple has asked suppliers to build at least as many of its next-generation iPhones this year as in 2021, counting on an affluent clientele and dwindling competition to weather a global electronics downturn. The tech giant is telling its assemblers to make 90 million of its newest devices, on par with last year, despite deteriorating projections for the smartphone market, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
But market observers cautioned the economic outlook remained bleak. What Bloomberg Intelligence Says Apple’s near- and mid-term percentage sales growth will likely remain in the mid-single digits, spurred by product-refresh cycles and sales of additional services to its installed base of more than 1.8 billion active devices.