Apple Faces Margin Pressure as Memory Chip Prices Surge Amid AI Boom 
Amazon Stock Dips as Reports Link Company to Potential $50B OpenAI Investment 
Pentagon and Anthropic Clash Over AI Safeguards in National Security Use 
Federal Judge Signals Possible Dismissal of xAI Lawsuit Against OpenAI 
C3.ai in Merger Talks With Automation Anywhere as AI Software Industry Sees Consolidation 
Climate Adaptation at Home: How Irrigreen Makes Conservation Effortless 
Meta Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Approval of AI Chatbots Allowing Sexual Interactions With Minors 
US Judge Rejects $2.36B Penalty Bid Against Google in Privacy Data Case 
Boeing Secures New Labor Contract With Former Spirit AeroSystems Employees 
China Approves First Import Batch of Nvidia H200 AI Chips Amid Strategic Shift 
Nvidia’s $100 Billion OpenAI Investment Faces Internal Doubts, Report Says 
SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom 
Panama Supreme Court Voids CK Hutchison Port Concessions, Raising Geopolitical and Trade Concerns 
CSPC Pharma and AstraZeneca Forge Multibillion-Dollar Partnership to Develop Long-Acting Peptide Drugs 
Apple Earnings Beat Expectations as iPhone Sales Surge to Four-Year High 
Google Halts UK YouTube TV Measurement Service After Legal Action 
Apple Forecasts Strong Revenue Growth as iPhone Demand Surges in China and India 
Apple shares declined by 3% on Monday after analysts reported lower-than-expected demand for the new iPhone 16 Pro models. The shorter global shipping times compared to last year's models suggest weaker pre-orders and potential consumer hesitation.
Apple Shares Drop on Weak iPhone Demand
On Monday, Apple stock dropped about 3% as some analysts speculated that the delayed release of important AI features may have contributed to slower-than-expected demand for the new iPhone 16 Pro models.
Apple finally announced the iPhone 16 series last week, and it was built around Apple Intelligence, the company's artificial intelligence software.
Pre-Order Data Shows Decline in Ship Times
According to early pre-order data from BofA Global Research, the global shipping times for the iPhone 16 Pro models are shorter than last year's 15 Pro models. This information was shared by Reuters on Monday, three days after Apple began accepting pre-orders.
Based on the data, the average ship time for the iPhone 16 Pro is presently 14 days, which is lower than last year's 15 Pro's 24 days. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 19 days ship time is compared to 32 days last year.
"The key factor is the lower-than-expected demand for the iPhone 16 Pro series ... the major selling point, Apple Intelligence, is not available at launch," Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities based in Taiwan, wrote in a blog post.
Apple Intelligence could delay the 16 series upgrade for some consumers as it won't be available in beta for the US English edition until next month and for other versions until next year.
First Weekend Sales Fall for Pro and Pro Max
According to Kuo, the first-weekend pre-order sales of the iPhone 16 Pro model fell 27%, and the Pro Max variant fell 16%.
"The U.S. is much weaker than last year, unless Apple massively increased supply allocation," analysts from Jefferies explained.
Indeed, according to Yahoo Finance, some experts have speculated that reduced shipping times might have resulted from an increase in the availability of the Pro models this time around, following last year's iPhone 15 Pro Max, when supplies of the camera lens caused delays in shipments.
"We are not concerned if pre-orders don't show meaningful growth," commented Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson.
"The (AI) features will be rolling out gradually ... which means the upgrade cycle will likely materialize over the next 12-18 months."
