Diwali sales hike for Apple? iPhone sales could exceed 50 lakh units in Q3 amid iPhone 17 series launch, says report

Apple seems set to have breakthrough Diwali sales this year, as analysts have predicted major demand for the Silicon Valley tech giant's recently launched iPhone 17 series, according to a report by Moneycontrol.

The report cited data from analyst firm IDC, which found that initial pre-bookings for the iPhone 17 series in India have outpaced demand for the iPhone 16 during its launch. The rocketing numbers position Apple to have bumper sales this festive period — Q3 of FY25.

Expert speak: iPhone 17 series pre-booking show ‘strong momentum’

Speaking to MC, Upasana Joshi, analyst at IDC said that the initial pre-bookings for the new iPhone 17 series in India “show strong momentum”, with numbers exceeding those for the iPhone 16 series during the same period last year.

“This positive trend is expected to continue through the upcoming Diwali quarter. The demand for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max has been especially sharp, pushing pre-orders higher and creating the prospect of supply shortages in the early weeks of launch,” Joshi added.

According to her, the iPhone 17 series' upgrades are “expected to drive faster upgrade cycles and reinforce the iPhone's status as an aspirational product for Indian consumers”.

Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint also told the publication that demand for iPhone 17 is stronger than it was for iPhone 16. “The base variant has been upgraded to 256 GB, making it a better value promotion compared to last year’s launch. Pro and Pro Max models are seeing the highest demand compared to last year, with the cosmic orange colour particularly popular,” he said.

Apple iPhone 17 series pre-bookings: What are the numbers?

• According to the IDC data, iPhone shipments for the July-September quarter i.e. Q3FY25, could exceed 50 lakh units, according to the report.
• Of this, the iPhone 17 series devices are expected to contribute to around 15-20 per cent of the sales jump this Diwali, it added.
• The estimates are higher than the 40 lakh iPhone that Apple shipped in Q3 FY24, where the new launches — including iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, contributed around 10 per cent of sales, the report said citing IDC data.
• According to Joshi, customer can expect long wait times as demand could soon outstrip supply, despite the new Apple factories in India working to ensure better supply.
• “Consumers might find it more challenging to get their hands on the latest devices at non-Apple stores due to tighter inventory. We can anticipate longer queues at these official Apple stores, as consumers flock to experience the new devices firsthand,” she added.
• Among the latest launches — iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, IDC experts felt that demand for iPhone 17 Air is relatively lower pricing, but still better compared to the dropped Plus variant.