Copyright 9to5Mac
There’s been a lot of doubt about the number of iPhone Air orders being placed by customers, given that delivery times have never slipped between launch and today.. A Nikkei report today adds fuel to the fire, suggesting that Apple has slashed its own orders to suppliers to levels normally only seen as a product winds down to the end of production … Earlier signs pointed to weak iPhone Air demand One key sign of a new Apple product’s popularity is just how quickly estimated delivery times slip. For new iPhone models, that can sometimes happen literally within minutes of a model going on sale. But availability of the iPhone Air remained immediate for both delivery and in-store pickup at launch, and that hasn’t changed at all since then. Both analysts and market intelligence agencies have also pointed to very muted demand for Apple’s slimmest ever iPhone. Morgan Stanley predicted boosted production of the other three new iPhone models, but notably did not do so for the iPhone Air. Counterpoint Research pointed to strong demand for the base model iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but again nothing on the iPhone Air. Production slashed drastically – Nikkei A new Nikkei Asia report claims that Apple has slashed its production orders for the iPhone Air to nearly end of production levels, despite what was initially reported to be strong demand when the model went on sale in China. Apple is drastically cutting iPhone Air production orders […] Nikkei Asia has learned. Production orders for the iPhone Air have been cut nearly to “end of production” levels, despite it only becoming available in China last week, due to weak demand in other markets, multiple sources briefed on the matter said […] “The total forecast has almost entered end-of-production mode, dropping significantly compared to earlier projections, to only about 10% fewer orders compared with September starting in November,” one of the component supplier managers said. Made up for by other models The good news for Apple is that overall production across the new iPhone range is said to be in line with its forecasts. That is, “unexpectedly robust demand” for the iPhone 17 models has compensated for weak demand for the iPhone Air. By contrast, demand for the iPhone 17 model and iPhone 17 Pro has exceeded expectations. Apple has increased production orders for the baseline iPhone 17 by about 5 million units and also added orders for the high-end iPhone 17 Pro, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. 9to5Mac’s Take Using indirect signals as a proxy for demand for a new Apple product is never an exact science. While delivery times for one phone quickly slipping and another model remaining immediately available does certainly give strong clues as to likely demand, it can also just mean that Apple got its initial sums wrong. For example, if Apple expected iPhone Air orders to make up 15% of total demand, and stock-piled accordingly, then it would continue to have immediate availability if actual orders comprised 14%. In this case, however, the totality of the evidence does strongly suggest that the iPhone Air has proven significantly less popular than Apple had hoped. Highlighted accessories Official Apple Store on Amazon Apple 40W Dynamic Power Adapter for iPhone 17 Official Apple iPhone Air cases and bumpers iPhone Air MagSafe Battery Official iPhone Air case Official iPhone 17 cases Official iPhone 17 Pro cases and Pro Max cases Image: Apple
