A number of articles surfaced today claiming OLED iPad Pro demand has dried up since launch. These articles originate from a new update by Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC). He detailed how their forecast of 10 million OLED panel shipments for iPad in 2024 will likely come in at just under 7 million units for the year.

I don’t have access to the paywalled source article, so I’ll have to quote the MacRumors here:

Released in May of this year, the 11-inch and 13-inch devices marked Apple’s first use of OLED technology in larger screens and were initially projected to ship up to 10 million units in 2024. However, in its latest analysis, market research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) has significantly lowered that forecast to just 6.7 million units.

DSCC’s Ross Young reports that shipments of the 11-inch model are likely to decrease by 40% in the third quarter and a further 30% in the fourth quarter compared to the previous quarter. The larger 13-inch model is said to be experiencing an even steeper decline, with shipments projected to drop by over 50% and 90% in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

I think Ross Young is one of the more accurate analysts in the technology space. I in no way want to disparage him or his work. And I absolutely believe him when he says demand is decreasing. That’s kind of natural after a launch quarter for a product to settle into its normal sales pattern. I’m more annoyed with how most tech sites are reporting this.

When I read this article I didn’t think “demand has dried up”, but more “DSCC expected this number of OLED displays to be shipped, and now they are expecting a lower number”.

Do we know how they came up with their 10 million display estimate? Was it from insider knowledge at Apple? Or their sources in the supply chain? Or was it picked out of thin air? I’m not sure.

Again, I’m not trying to disparage DSCC. I’m just annoyed that this one report is being taken as definitive proof that demand for the M4 iPad Pro has collapsed. And that’s not necessarily the case. It’s possible, but we don’t have enough information to know for sure. For all we know, demand is right where Apple internally forecasted it would be. Last I heard, the tablet market is growing again, so maybe demand is fine, and the signals from the supply chain are being misinterpreted. We just don’t know yet.

We’ll get some idea when Apple delivers their quarterly earnings at the end of the month. Until, let’s maybe chill on the misleading article titles?

Link: MacRumors