Apple has reportedly cut back orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max due to weaker-than-expected demand. According to Nikkei Asia, Apple has asked certain suppliers to scale down production of components for these devices. The price increases are said to have dampened interest.
Two sources say that orders for components for October have been reduced by at least 15% compared with Apple’s original requests.
A supply-chain executive told Nikkei Asia: “In October alone, we saw Apple reduce orders for both premium models by 15-20%. We don’t yet know how the situation will develop further.”
It is not clear at this point whether Apple will make further changes to its orders from November onwards.
Another supply-chain manager, who wished to remain anonymous, told Nikkei Asia that demand is not as strong as in previous years, when all new iPhone models were introduced at the same time.
This is a reference to the fact that Apple will not bring the standard iPhone 18 to market until next spring. According to suppliers, however, this does not fully explain why demand is lower.
One of the sources also expects that the iPhone Duo may face a similar problem after its launch. Production limits could follow for that model as well.
Apple has increased the prices of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max by €150 compared with their predecessors.
It is not only Apple that is struggling with high prices. Laptops may become more expensive in 2027, while global demand declines. That is the prediction of market research firm TrendForce. Rising costs for processors, RAM and SSDs are putting manufacturers under pressure. How sharply sales fall will partly depend on the extent to which manufacturers pass these costs on to consumers.
TrendForce currently expects the number of laptops shipped worldwide in 2027 to fall, and If DRAM and processor prices remain high and manufacturers largely pass on the higher costs, the decline could increase to a high single-digit percentage.
The consequences depend on how manufacturers respond to the rising costs. Higher retail prices may prompt consumers to use their laptops for longer before purchasing a new device. Manufacturers can also choose to absorb the higher costs themselves, but that comes at the expense of their profit margins. A third option is to lower specifications, for example by using less RAM. However, that could make laptops less attractive to buyers.
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