While many analysts are calling for an iPhone 16 supercycle this year, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says “wait until next year.”
Some analysts have been calling for the iPhone to experience a supercycle this year. That occurs when many iPhone owners who have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the perfect time to upgrade finally decide to replace their old iPhone with a new model. Typically, there is a catalyst that sets off the supercycle and this year it would seem to be obvious that Apple Intelligence, Apple’s AI initiative, would drive upgrade sales.
Since the only models that will support Apple’s AI platform this year are the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, if there ever were a supercycle year, it would seem to be this one. But Mark Gurman begs to differ. In the latest edition of Gurman’s Power On newsletter, the Bloomberg scribe writes that a supercycle is unlikely this year.
Part of the reason for doubting that we will see an iPhone supercycle with the iPhone 16 series has to do with the macroeconomic headwinds impacting global smartphone demand. Even in China, the world’s largest smartphone market, sales of handsets have been sluggish. As for the new iPhone models, a supercycle is not going to occur just because the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have slightly larger screens (6.3-inch and 6.