Apple cuts new iPhone production as demand turns out weaker

Interest in the new iPhones has proved weaker than expected, and Apple is cutting their production. Nikkei Asia reports this, citing several well-informed sources.

According to the publication, Apple has taken a more cautious approach to shipments since the beginning of September. October orders are below the original plans, so suppliers received smaller orders than the company had initially requested.

Reuters tried to verify the information. “Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal working hours,” the agency noted.

Reuters writes that chip prices are rising because tech companies are buying up capacity for advanced processors and memory for artificial intelligence data centers en masse. A shortage is emerging and prices are climbing, which is expected to shrink the markets for personal computers and smartphones this year. For a similar reason, Apple already raised prices of iPads and MacBooks in June, explaining that it can no longer shield customers from the sharply rising cost of memory and storage chips tied to the expansion of AI data centers.

The weak interest may not have a single cause. “Demand for devices was weaker from the end of August through October, which, according to Nikkei, may be linked to a change in the launch schedule of iPhone models,” Reuters added.

The new iPhones have become more expensive: the base iPhone 18 Pro with 256 GB of storage costs 34,990 crowns, whereas last year the iPhone 17 Pro with the same capacity sold for 32,990 crowns. This year the 512 GB version will cost 40,990 crowns, which is 2,000 crowns more than last year.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz