Apple Suppliers Anxious Over Lower-Than-Expected iPhone 8 Orders Going into 2018

[DEMinSoCAL]

The thing is that Apple is still selling a lot of these phones. Just because suppliers are cutting back on orders doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.

Profit is still rolling on in.

Not the end of the world, but if you remember sales charts in the past, iPhone sales are, by far, the largest slice of income in Apple's sales pie. (pun intended)

So even a small slump in flagship phone sales will hit your bottom line. I agree with what some have said, that Apple has hit the price cap of what people are willing to spend on a phone.

 

[Lesser Evets]

WTF is Apple doing? They have iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE....

GET RID OF THEM!

They have to cut out everything between the 8 and the SE. CUT IT! Stop confusing people. The SE makes sense, because it is low cost. The 8 is unfortunate, and the X is the vanguard. Apple's product line is looking like a Microsoft boot sale technique; that never worked very well, either.

 

[newyorksole]

Not the end of the world, but if you remember sales charts in the past, iPhone sales are, by far, the largest slice of income in Apple's sales pie. (pun intended)

So even a small slump in flagship phone sales will hit your bottom line. I agree with what some have said, that Apple has hit the price cap of what people are willing to spend on a phone.

Good point. There definitely needs to be a pricing revolution. I can’t believe they also raised iPad Pro prices. And instead of the iPhone 8 starting at $649 it starts at $699. Crazy.

 

[djcerla]

the slower-than-expected sales of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have dragged down the momentum for the iPhone X

This has got to be the most stupid sentence I've read this week.
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No one wants a four-year-old giant bezel design?

No One. Say it again: no one.

We'll soon discover. Of course, having Apple guided for a ginormous quarter, and not having warned of a subsequential slowdown in sales, you're very likely completely wrong.

 

[ncc1701d]

WTF is Apple doing? They have iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE....

GET RID OF THEM!

They have to cut out everything between the 8 and the SE. CUT IT! Stop confusing people. The SE makes sense, because it is low cost. The 8 is unfortunate, and the X is the vanguard. Apple's product line is looking like a Microsoft boot sale technique; that never worked very well, either.

Spot on. If you can afford the 8 - you wait for the x. They should focus on putting the best they can into the x and se size phone.

 

[BruiserBear]

At some point, isn’t it inevitable that we’ll see more market saturation and longer upgrade cycles...?

That's already happening right now. This is why Apple introduced the iPad Pro and iPhone X. They're trying to make bigger profits off of fewer buyers. People are realizing these device just aren't getting that much better year to year anymore. The devices that have launched in the past couple years are very good. It's hard to make them that much better.

 

[brownpaw]

Weird. You mean, you release the 8 alongside the X, and say that the X is the future, and the X-style form factor will probably be the norm for all but the super low-end models next year, but probably at the price of the 8, and it's a surprise that the 8 isn't selling well. hmmm.

 

[scrapesleon]

Outdated design sorry

 

[truthertech]

Any chance the headline could be corrected to state facts instead of clickbait?
Apple Suppliers Anxious Over Lower-Than-Expected iPhone 8 Orders Going into 2018 Should read:

Apple Suppliers Anxious Over Lower-Than-Expected iPhone 8 Orders Going into 2018, according to unidentified and conflicting sources.

 

[lincolntran]

iPhone 8 has nothing to offer me over 7 and iPhone X has a notch. I will wait till next year.
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That is not true. People don’t want notch in iPhone 10.

You have any measurable data to back up your claim?

 

[44267547]

The iPhone 8 is $350 cheaper than the X ($649 vs 999).

The iPhone 8 Plus is $200 cheaper than the X ($799 vs 999).

 

[jonnyb098]

This is all just BS news to manipulate the stock market. (yes they're a shady bunch)

 

[NT1440]

WTF is Apple doing? They have iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE....

GET RID OF THEM!

They have to cut out everything between the 8 and the SE. CUT IT! Stop confusing people. The SE makes sense, because it is low cost. The 8 is unfortunate, and the X is the vanguard. Apple's product line is looking like a Microsoft boot sale technique; that never worked very well, either.

Seeing as America isn't the center of the universe, perhaps it'd be pertinent to examine the pricing and offering structures all over the rest of the world? Many of these phones still exist because of developing markets, where an X or 8 is seriously out of reach...but a 6s or SE is within the reach of the middle class in country X or Y.

 

[UL2RA]

Phone looks the same as it did when the 6 came out; and the x is as expensive as a used car.

No thanks.

A really crappy used car, yes.

 

[jonnyb098]

That's already happening right now. This is why Apple introduced the iPad Pro and iPhone X. They're trying to make bigger profits off of fewer buyers. People are realizing these device just aren't getting that much better year to year anymore. The devices that have launched in the past couple years are very good. It's hard to make them that much better.

Very true and theres plenty of evidence to back that up. The cameras are always a nice improvement though.

But go look up any video comparing the speed of a 6S to the 8 and the apps launch at almost the exact same time. Im sure the 8 is fast but aside from the camera and AR, the average task has not taxed an iPhone processor in years. At least on iPad with stronger apps and split screen the speed increases are felt a bit more in day to day. But most don't care that their messages app launches 0.002 seconds quicker on the latest phone or a geekbench score thats comparable to a Macbook Pro.

 

[JGIGS]

Honestly I partly regret not sticking to the old form factor. I don't like face ID, inconsistent and doesn't work well when on a table or desk. Also a pain when it doesn't work when using apple pay at least I usually have my apple watch on and use that.

iOs on the X gets even more unintuitive/less natural to use, closing apps is awful.

The all screen is nice but at a cost. Speaking of actual cost I could have saved a few clams as well getting a 6S-8 model instead.

Hopefully Apple makes some big changes to ios' user interface or with time it gets more natural for me though it's 2 months and my transisition to Android feeling natural didn't take this long so I'm not holding my breath.

Basically the X is a good phone with a clumsy interface.

 

[NT1440]

Very true and theres plenty of evidence to back that up. The cameras are always a nice improvement though.

But go look up any video comparing the speed of a 6S to the 8 and the apps launch at almost the exact same time. Im sure the 8 is fast but aside from the camera and AR, the average task has not taxed an iPhone processor in years. At least on iPad with stronger apps and split screen the speed increases are felt a bit more in day to day. But most don't care that their messages app launches 0.002 seconds quicker on the latest phone or a geekbench score thats comparable to a Macbook Pro.

The difference in processing power is only going to grow over the next 5 years or so (it's going to take a while for Google's new chip team to catch up). To think Apple is pouring money into chip advancements for the simple act of app loading times instead of the major AR, computational photography, and other massive projects that utilize the power after a given app is launched is....well kind of missing the storm on the horizon because the water is so calm right now.

 

[lobbyist]

the slower-than-expected sales of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have dragged down the momentum for the iPhone X

This has got to be the most stupid sentence I've read this week.
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That caught my attention too - what exactly do they mean by that? Wondering if that might have been misquoted.

 

[Juicy Box]

I think I agree with the comments saying that people didn't want an old design, and didn't want to spend the money for the X. I "downgraded from a plus model to an SE, and I have been pretty happy with it.

and the x is as expensive as a used car.

A really crappy used car, yes.

I bought a few cars that were less than $1000. All of them except one lasted much longer than a typical iPhone. My first car cost me $300, and lasted 97 miles before having serious engine problems, but I did get my money back. All the other ones were great cars that lasted a long time.

Hahaha, please don’t buy used car at $1000

When I was a kid, I didn't have the money for a car over $1k, what was your first car?

 

[apolloa]

iPhone suppliers are said to be preparing for low orders from Apple in the first quarter of 2018 because of a combination of seasonal factors and anxiety over reports of slower-than-expected sales of Apple's latest smartphone line-up.

According to DigiTimes' sources in the supply chain, several component suppliers are bracing themselves for low order visibility for the full range of iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models.

The report highlights signs of declining order visibility for Apple's flagship phones that appeared as early as the fourth quarter of 2017, which is said to have led some suppliers to plan for temporary halts in production during the month of February.

Another influencing factor on the decision is the weeklong Lunar New Year holidays, which significantly reduce capacity utilization rates, according to the same sources.

Several upstream suppliers are reportedly cognizant of the need to control their inventory levels to offset the possible impact of low orders, including those for memory chips, camera modules, 3D sensing modules, PCBs and IC backend service firms.

Reports remain conflicted about actual iPhone X sales since the smartphone was launched in September. Recent OS data from Kantar Worldpanel indicated "stellar" performance of the iPhone X in multiple markets around the world during November, amid an overall "mixed performance" for iOS devices from September to November 2017.

However, in December 2017, sources in the semiconductor packaging and testing service industry claimed that pre-orders for the iPhone X were not as strong as expected in some markets. Numerous reports in recent weeks have weighed in on the topic of sales, with many analysts predicting weakened demand in Q1 2018 now that early adopters have received their iPhone X.

Article Link: Apple Suppliers Anxious Over Lower-Than-Expected iPhone 8 Orders Going into 2018

And the truth be told, suppliers are a much better and reliable source of sales then Apple will be!
If Apple keep the ridiculous pricing and continue with their planned obsolescence of older models the decline will only continue.
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I guess it's time to start throttling iPhone 8 for 'battery issues'!

Give it oh about 8 months and it will be..... with plenty of people defending the ‘feature’..

 

[UL2RA]

I bought a few cars that were less than $1000. All of them except one lasted much longer than a typical iPhone. My first car cost me $300, and lasted 97 miles before having serious engine problems, but I did get my money back. All the other ones were great cars that lasted a long time.

That doesn't make it not a crappy car.

 

[Juicy Box]

Give it oh about 8 months and it will be..... with plenty of people defending the ‘feature’..

I find it weird that people would defend Apple for the whole throttling issues.

Hopefully they figured out the issues with the batteries, and Apple won't have to throttle the 8.

That doesn't make it not a crappy car.

Buying a car new doesn't make it not a crappy car...

It is subjective.

From a purely utilitarian perspective, I think the cars I bought were great for my needs.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

iPhone 8 has nothing to offer me over 7 and iPhone X has a notch. I will wait till next year.
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That is not true. People don’t want notch in iPhone 10.

I like my notch so much, I bought an Essential PH-1 so I could have another notch.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I have an idea! Lower the price!

 

[UL2RA]

Buying a car new doesn't make it not a crappy car...

It is subjective.

From a purely utilitarian perspective, I think the cars I bought were great for my needs.

Point taken.