Do Apple employees really have to wait several weeks to buy the latest iPhones?

An analyst’s claims about iPhone sales have been corrected by employees and users.

First weekend sales of the latest Apple iPhone 16, announced at the Glowtime event on September 9th, got off to a slow start.

According to information provided by analyst Ming Chi-Kuo several days ago, first weekend pre-order sales of the iPhone 16 are estimated at about 37 million units, which is 12.7% lower than the first-weekend sales of the iPhone 15 series.

Now, the analyst claims that Apple employees can already purchase the iPhone 16 with a discount.

“Typically, employees have had to wait several weeks after the release of new iPhone models before being able to buy. This could be another sign that the early demand for the iPhone 16 is below expectations,” Kuo added in a post on X.

Apple employees can already purchase the iPhone 16 with their employee discount. Typically, employees have had to wait several weeks after the release of new iPhone models before being able to buy. This could be another sign that the early demand for the iPhone 16 is below…

undefined 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) September 18, 2024

Several news outlets also quoted this information as a sign of poor iPhone 16 sales.

However, many users both on Reddit and in posts on X disputed this, with one claiming to be an Apple employee and noting that employees have never had to wait to order iPhones.

Kuo’s statement was also clarified by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

“The employee purchase program for the new iPhones started the same time as regular customer pre-orders – so while early demand clearly has been slow, this isn’t evidence or a response to that. The gap also hasn’t been several weeks for a while,” he said in a post on X.

Employee purchase program for the new iPhones started the same time as regular customer pre orders - so while early demand clearly has been slow, this isn’t evidence or response to that. The gap also hasn’t been several weeks for a while. https://t.co/I3KYomTBrv

undefined Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 18, 2024

While estimated sales of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus were up, sales of the Pro models, which make up a significant portion of all iPhone sales, were lower.

The main reason for the slow start is the unavailability of Apple Intelligence features, which is considered to be the main selling point of iPhone 16.

Apple is planning to introduce the first Apple Intelligence features for eligible model owners starting this October. However, some of them will likely be released only next year.

Apple sales will also likely be affected by Apple Intelligence's unavailability in China and Europe. Due to regulations, users in these regions will not be able to use Apple AI features, at least at the beginning.