Want an iPhone 6? Better pick one up soon because shortages are predicted for next year

If you've got your eye on an iPhone 6 then you should think about getting one sooner rather than later.

According to UBS analyst Steven Milunovich, come the new year Apple will shift production priorities towards the larger, more expensive iPhone 6 Plus.

"Given the ramp in [December] we do expect a sequential decline of 40 percent or so in March, mostly in the smaller iPhone 6," he said. "We think interest in the larger 6 Plus may be greater than Apple expected, necessitating a mix shift."

This shift in production priorities could see the iPhone 6 becoming harder to find.

Milunovich claims that not only is demand for the iPhone 6 Plus high in China, but in the US as well.

"Sales in the US have been 3-to-1 in favor of the smaller iPhone 6, but that may be underestimating true 6 Plus demand given tight supply," said Milunovich.

This follows a similar prediction by Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes.

"We believe strong iPhone 6 Plus shipments in a seasonally weak March quarter could yield significant margin upside," said Reitzes, who expects Chinese New Year in February, which is a traditional time for gift giving, to buoy sales thanks to pent up demand in part due to delays in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to China.

See also:

• Galaxy S6 to get a radical redesign in an attempt to boost sales
• Apple entering a 'whack-a-mole' era of malware defense
• Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update coming soon
• Cheap Android smartphones pre-loaded with malware
• iPhone 6 sales to drive Apple to record quarter: report