Apple scales up order volumes for iPhone 7 parts

Apple has reportedly scaled up orders for parts and components meant for the production of the upcoming iPhone7 and 7 Plus, according to sources from the supply chain in Taiwan, reports DigiTimes.

The Cupertino giant shipped on average 30 million iPhone 6s units per month in the second half of 2015 and the predictions were that iPhone 7 this year would reach only 60 percent of that number over the same period. But the company has now increased its original prediction by 10 percent.

The main contributor to this new development is the global recall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone last week, which followed numerous complaints that the battery explodes while charging. The timings couldn’t have been better for Apple.

Samsung has already voluntarily pulled its flagship device from 10 countries, including South Korea and the U.S. Target has reportedly stopped selling the phone, while Amazon and Best Buy have also said they are no longer selling the Note 7. In the latest blow, Consumer Reports has called for an official recall which would make it illegal to sell the phones in the U.S.

Samsung has told customers it will take at least 14 days to replace their phones, and with several mobile operators including T-Mobile offering full refunds to Note buyers over the same week the new iPhones are expected to be announced, Apple's offering could prove a tempting alternative.

However, despite Apple's revised orders, some suppliers reportedly remain worried that the uplift could be short-lived, given that order volumes for new parts and components may start drifting down in Q4 "on seasonality".