DigiTimes claims shipments of mmWave 5G iPhones expected to be half of previous supply chain estimate

The latest shipment estimates for Apple’s upcoming mmWave-enabled 5G iPhones are several million units lower than previously expected, DigiTimes claims: “Shipments of mmWave-enabled 5G iPhones slated for launch later this year are estimated to reach only 15-20 million units in 2020 compared to a previous supply chain estimate of 30-40 million units, intensifying competition among Apple’s suppliers of FC-AiP substrates for the new phones, according to industry sources.”

iPhone 12 design
Apple’s rumored iPhone 12 design

Tim Hardwick for MacRumors:

Apple is believed to be designing its own antenna-in-package or “AiP” module for mmWave iPhones, which use a set of 5G frequencies that promise ultra-fast speeds at short distances, making it best suited for dense urban areas. By contrast, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas.

According to DigiTimes, Apple’s AIP package is more cost-effective than previous designs, but some analysts believe that models with support for ultra-fast mmWave technology will likely launch after sub-6GHz models due to production challenges and the global health crisis. To counter these challenges, Apple has diversified its supply chain for the modules to minimize risk.

MacDailyNews Take: So this new “estimate” is only half of the previous “estimate,” so that’s bad unless the first “estimate” was wrong or the new “estimate” is wrong or both “estimates” were/are wrong, according to “industry sources” (of course).

Look up spotty in the dictionary and there are three example images: a cheetah, a teenage boy, and the DigiTimes masthead.

Even if a particular data point were factual it would be impossible to accurately interpret the data point as to what it meant for our overall business… There is just an inordinate[ly] long list of things that would make any single data point not a great proxy for what’s going on. Apple CEO Tim Cook, January 23, 2013

6 Comments

    1. Maybe you’ve become a one-note band. Not every Apple story is about their plot to displace rich old American white men and their lackeys from their rightful place in the world.

    1. Digitimes do this every year to deliberately tank the Apple stock price. Several people there obviously own the stock. They buy up large when the stock price is low, then cash in when the new iPhone is released and the real sales numbers come in.

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