Overview
- IDC projects Apple will ship about 247.4 million iPhones in 2025, up roughly 6% year over year, led by the iPhone 17 lineup.
- Shipment value is forecast to top $261 billion in 2025, a 7.2% increase that marks records in both units and dollars.
- In China, Apple captured more than 20% market share in October and November, prompting IDC to lift its Q4 outlook from 9% to 17% growth and to shift its 2025 view from a 1% decline to 3% growth.
- Reports indicate Apple will stagger its next launches, with iPhone 18 Pro and a foldable model expected in September 2026 and the lower‑priced iPhone 18 pushed to spring 2027, which IDC says would pull iOS shipments down about 4.2% next year.
- IDC also flags a global memory shortage that is set to constrain 2026 supply, raise the average smartphone price to about $465, and nudge total shipments down roughly 0.9%, while supply‑chain reports suggest the coming iPhone 17e will reuse an older OLED panel with slimmer bezels and BOE as the main supplier.