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iPhone 13 Demand Weakening Ahead of Holidays, Apple Tells Suppliers

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Apple has informed some of its component suppliers that demand for the iPhone 13 models is slowing ahead of the holidays, reports Bloomberg. Reports of weakening demand come as delivery estimates for the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro have started to improve, with the devices available to ship before Christmas.

iPhone-13-Pro-Feature-Blue.jpg

Apple in October cut 2021 iPhone 13 production by as many as 10 million units because of industry wide chip shortages. Apple was planning to produce 90 million iPhone 13 models in 2021, but Broadcom and Texas Instruments were unable to deliver enough components.

According to Bloomberg, Apple was aiming to make up the shortfall in 2022 when supplies improve, but Apple has now informed vendors that it may not end up getting the necessary orders from customers.

During Apple's fourth quarter earnings call in October, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the supply constraints on iPhones, iPads, and Macs had already cost Apple around $6 billion, and that the supply issues would continue into December.

At launch, available iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro models sold out quickly, and for a good month after launch, there were long lead times on shipments. Cook said during the call that Apple was "working feverishly" to boost iPhone 13 supplies, and it appears that stock is now catching up with demand.

Article Link: iPhone 13 Demand Weakening Ahead of Holidays, Apple Tells Suppliers
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/01/iphone-13-demand-weakening/
Nothing unusual. For the iPhone 13 Pro it especially makes sense. Those who buy the most expensive, top of the line phones are early adopters - they're very dialed into the latest releases and want them asap.

Anyone buying an iPhone by now... not necessarily looking for latest and greatest - although some will, sure.
 
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ouimetnick said:
Makes sense. Minor “upgrade” from a 12.
Click to expand...

Very true. The 13 is a minor upgrade year-over-year from the 12. I'll go as far to say you shouldn't upgrade to a 13 if you already have a 12.

But... how many of the billion iPhones out in the world are actually last year's 12 series? Not that many.

There are still PLENTY of iPhone 11, Xs, X, 8, etc out there whose owners could upgrade to the 13.

iPhones are pretty good these days and can last a long time. Hardly anyone is replacing an iPhone after just one year... and even two years is becoming rare.

So remember that the next time someone says "this new iPhone isn't much different than last year's iPhone"

It's not for them.

:p
 
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NO surprise there, & easily solved by Apple !

ALL depends-upon which app they recommend as "App of the Year" !

If they pick the right one, ALL their problems are immediately solved !

If they don't, downward spiral till the iPhone 14 is Released next Sept.

Select Off-the-Radar NON-Game Apps have never had more power than now !

There may 20-30 UN-Discovered Gem Apps in the App Store.

If Apple picks the one that could generate the most Enthusiasm, they'll be fine.

BTW, Apple's picks came out on Dec 1st of last year, so anytime now.

Also, upgraded my 11 Pro Max to a 13 Pro Max @ the Apple Park Visitor Center on Saturday; depending-upon the task, CPU Perf is up 16-25% ! ... higher than I expected !
 
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ouimetnick said:
Makes sense. Minor “upgrade” from a 12. Plus people may be opting for lower cost iPhone models as well.

If only the lead time for the new MacBook Pro would improve. I’m waiting till late January till mine arrives.
Click to expand...

I don't agree that it's a minor upgrade from the 12.

The 13 Pro Max may have the single-best Back Wide image sensor Apple ever offers; they're going to a 48 Mpx with pixel binning next year.

Also, the additional SRAM in the A15 makes a very BIG difference, both for Perf & for Power Efficiency !
 
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Funny timing on this story after $AAPL stock has pumped a lot for a couple of days. Was wondering why the stock wasn't going down along with the rest of the mega-cap tech with essentially no new news.
 
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Cosmosent said:
I don't agree that it's a minor upgrade from the 12.

The 13 Pro Max may have the single-best Back Wide image sensor Apple ever offers; they're going to a 48 Mpx with pixel binning next year.

Also, the additional SRAM in the A15 makes a very BIG difference, both for Perf & for Power Efficiency !
Click to expand...
I even own a 13 Pro Max and think it's a minor upgrade over a 12. Let's not kid ourselves here, there's no massive changes. Heck even the photos I take look almost identical to the 11 Pro it replaces, admittedly I'm no professional photographer.
 
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Fool me once Macrumors….
Same exact story every year. Suppliers leak that Apple told them they’re cutting back on orders because of weak demand.
Apple’s following earning call… “We‘ve sold the most iPhones ever!”

Seriously, rinse and repeat articles here. Lol
 
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Slowing down because people who wanted it already bought it. The pre orders in my country were sold out, and I'm seeing more people with the 13 Pro Max than I thought I would.

In reality, this is not actual news. In a just-in-time production model, component adjustments are necessary, and might not be an actual indicator of anything other than simple adjustments.
 
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Quu said:
I even own a 13 Pro Max and think it's a minor upgrade over a 12. Let's not kid ourselves here, there's no massive changes. Heck even the photos I take look almost identical to the 11 Pro it replaces, admittedly I'm no professional photographer.
Click to expand...
So true. I should have tested in the store but I expected the quality of the 13PM wide camera to be better than my 11PM. I use the wide camera a ton for work and documentation purposes and so far there's no visual difference especially in medium light. The 3x is nice at least.
 
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ian87w said:
Slowing down because people who wanted it already bought it. The pre orders in my country were sold out, and I'm seeing more people with the 13 Pro Max than I thought I would.

In reality, this is not actual news. In a just-in-time production model, component adjustments are necessary, and might not be an actual indicator of anything other than simple adjustments.
Click to expand...
Agreed, Apple over orders every year because they can to ensure supply. Then adjusts down based on projections. This is common practice for all the large players in the contracts they sign. IMHO they probably went on the high end this year with the supply chain issues.
 
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Andres Cantu said:
Funny timing on this story after $AAPL stock has pumped a lot for a couple of days. Was wondering why the stock wasn't going down along with the rest of the mega-cap tech with essentially no new news.
Click to expand...
Apple defies everything as usual. No big deal.
 
ouimetnick said:
Makes sense. Minor “upgrade” from a 12. Plus people may be opting for lower cost iPhone models as well.

If only the lead time for the new MacBook Pro would improve. I’m waiting till late January till mine arrives.
Click to expand...
Right on point....Apple tried to market this phone as being a huge upgrade from the iPhone 12 by naming it the iPhone 13 instead of the iPhone 12S or iPhone 12s. It looks like customers saw through the marketing hype and are waiting for the iPhone 14 coming out next year.
 
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Great, can they shift some of those PMICs back to iPad production? Having to wait six weeks for an iPad mini is killing me. ?
 
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