Apple: UBS on hold, highlighting 'mixed' demand for iPhone 17

Published: 2025-09-17 10:13:24 ET AAPL

Published on 09/17/2025 at 10:13 am EDT

On Wednesday UBS maintains its 'neutral' rating on the Apple stock, along with its $220 target price, saying that data measuring iPhone availability in 30 countries suggested 'mixed' demand for the new iPhone 17, available for pre-order since last Friday.Overall, delivery times in the US suggest that demand for the Pro and Pro Max models is lower than for the iPhone 16, with a waiting time of around 26 days for the iPhone 17 Pro Max compared to around 27 days for the 16 Pro Max and around 39 days for the 15 Pro Max, the analyst said.The wait time for the iPhone 17 Pro is around 12 days, down from 18 days for the launch of the 16 Pro and 23 days for the 15 Pro, he continues.While acknowledging that the arrival of the ultra-thin Air model makes year-on-year comparisons somewhat difficult, UBS highlights a waiting time of around 9 days for the Air, compared to around 8 days for the 16 Plus, which leads it to believe that despite the change in format, demand remains broadly comparable.In the entry-level segment, the wait time for the base 17 model is around 13 days, compared to around eight days last year, an increase that could indicate that consumers are shifting toward lower prices given the high prices of the other three models, which could potentially be negative for the average selling price (ASP) and gross margin if the trend continues, the broker concludes.