- Taiwan's Economic Daily News reports Apple (AAPL +1.7%) has ordered contract manufacturers to produce 72M-78M iPhone 7 units this year, a record figure for a new iPhone and above analyst estimates of ~65M.
- Apple is outperforming on a day the Nasdaq is up 0.3%. As are chip suppliers Cirrus Logic (CRUS +3.1%), Skyworks (SWKS +3.3%), Qorvo (QRVO +2.7%), and InvenSense (INVN +4.6%). Over in Taipei, Foxconn parent Hon Hai Precision (OTCPK:HNHAF) rose 4.6%, and fellow iPhone manufacturer Pegatron (OTC:PGTRF) rose 9.9%. TSMC (TSM +2.7%), which is believed to be the exclusive manufacturer of Apple's A10 processor (expected to go into the iPhone 7), is also doing well.
- The report comes with Apple having guided calendar Q2 revenue to be down 13%-17% Y/Y due to soft iPhone 6S sales. The rumor mill has indicated the iPhone 7 will feature a dual-camera array and a 256GB storage option, and do away with the 3.5mm headphone jack. The 9.7" iPad Pro's improved display suggests display enhancements are also possible.
- Now read Apple: Berkshire Hathaway Not The Only One Buying
- Update: Also reported by the Economic Daily News: Apple is prepping a "Pro" or "Premium" iPhone 7 model to go with a standard iPhone 7 and 7+.