During its FQ4 conference call this morning, Apple supplier Lumentum reported a huge increase in orders for 3D sensing laser components thought to be included in the upcoming iPhone 8 to enable advanced augmented reality features, as noted by analyst Gene Munster at LoupVentures. To be specific, the company has $200M in orders during the quarter up from just $5 million in revenue for the 3D sensing tech during the June quarter.
Based on the new info from Lumentum, Munster is predicting around 55m units of the next-gen iPhone models with the 3D sensing camera tech this year and capacity for around 160m next year:
The 55m units account for less than half of the total 133 million units Munster expects Apple to sell this year following the iPhone launch in September since he, along with others, predicts only the higher-end models will include the feature.
Munster expects the models with the 3D sensing tech to start at $950:
Catch up on the latest iPhone 8 reports here.
