Image Credits: Apple Track
Apple already has a supply issue with the iPhone 13. Could it also be suffering from a lack of demand? That appears to be the conclusion of a Bloomberg story based on Apple’s supply chain sources.
According to Bloomberg, after reducing iPhone 13 manufacturing orders for this year owing to part shortages, Apple is reportedly informing component suppliers that if iPhone supplies recover to normal levels, iPhone 13 demand may fall rather than increase.
If claims of dwindling demand are accurate, it would contradict hopes for the iPhone 13. Following last year’s record-breaking iPhone 12, analysts predicted that the good times would continue with Apple’s latest phone, fueled by increased customer demand for 5G-ready phones.
Apple is still on track to meet the average prediction of $118 billion in overall sales for the Christmas quarter, but iPhone 13 sales will be less spectacular than expected.
The supply issues that have plagued Apple this autumn — and that the company warned about on its most recent earnings call with Wall Street investors — may be coming to a head.
While iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 small orders presently ship in a few days, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will have to wait a week or two before leaving the factory. And this is really an improvement over the timeframes we saw earlier this week.
Aspiring iPhone As a result of the delays, people who have delayed ordering their phone may reconsider purchasing an iPhone completely in 2021. Some may find it advantageous to wait until 2022 for a newer iPhone.
While the iPhone 14 isn’t expected until autumn, if Apple’s plans are true, a new version of the iPhone SE might be unveiled in the first three months of the year.
Apple’s supply-and-demand issues occur at a time when the US economy is dealing with its own set of issues, most notably inflation.
While the price of the iPhone 13 models has not increased, other costs have. And it may make buyers hesitant to pay $699 to $1,099 on a new phone, even with the incentives Apple gives for turning in your old one.
At the very least, Apple may take solace in the knowledge that it is not the phone itself that is preventing customers from purchasing it. All four iPhone 13 versions have received rave reviews, with the iPhone 13 Pro Max now ranking as the greatest phone money can buy.
More importantly, comparing the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 11 demonstrates how much has changed in the previous two years. With users keeping their phones for extended periods of time, an upgrade to the iPhone 13 provides quite significant improvements over the phones Apple debuted three to four years ago.
Apple will not provide Christmas sales figures until the end of January when it releases profits for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2022. That’s when we’ll know for sure if the iPhone 13 is a smashing success.
