There is a purpose we have constructed some contacts in China, and refuting provide chain sources saying that demand for the iPhone 18 Professional is so low that Apple has reduce manufacturing is one among them.
In October 2025, it was that the iPhone Air orders may be be altering. In 2024, the iPhone 16 was undoubtedly doomed. Or in 2022, it was that Apple may need have scaled again orders for the iPhone 14.
Now Nikkei Asia is reporting that suppliers have been advised to chop part manufacturing due to low demand for the iPhone 18 Professional. Particularly, one among its sources stated Apple has been extra conservative with its part orders since early September.
That appears questionable. Though the iPhone 18 Professional was introduced on September 9, 2026, pre-orders did not begin till September 12. However then one other supply says no, it was in August that Apple both reduce orders or positioned decrease ones than standard.
AppleInsider did be aware that pre-order transport dates had been taking longer to slide again than in 2025, but additionally that there are causes for that. Apple by no means says what number of elements it has ordered, or what number of iPhones it made for launch.
Plus in 2026 it has three “Professional” grade iPhone launches together with the iPhone Duo, and it has break up its iPhone launches with the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e perhaps coming within the spring.
“We do discover the demand by way of quantity from August for the second half of this yr just isn’t as robust as earlier years when all the brand new fashions are launched all collectively,” one supply within the provide chain cited by the report clearly stated. “This yr, the usual iPhone 18, which might present a lift to volumes, won’t require elements till towards the top of the yr, for launch in early subsequent yr 2027.”
“May” is doing a whole lot of heavy lifting in that quote. An iPhone line, launched six months after the final one, will present a lift to volumes.
Claims of lowered orders do not see to take account of the iPhone Duo transport a lot later than the iPhone 18 Professional
There may be additionally the truth that of the premium fashions launched, the iPhone Duo is probably the most high-profile one, particularly for the September and October shopping for crowd. And Apple just isn’t transport that till greater than six weeks after announcement, that means manufacturing began later too.
What’s actually occurring
So Apple has launched fewer iPhone fashions and is not inserting part orders for the subsequent releases simply but. That doesn’t account for Apple later scaling again part manufacturing, however it does solely account for orders total being decrease.
What does account for these stories of scaling again orders is that Apple calibrates what number of elements it must have readily available like this yearly, typically even a number of instances a yr. It then will get dutifully, probably even gleefully, reported because the iPhone being in hassle.
When the identical declare comes each single yr, it’s a must to query whether or not these sources have the entire image. Most of the time, there’s some sort of bonus paid to writers that transfer the inventory market, like Forbes does.
As is typical for Nikkei Asia, it actually has no thought what to do with data it will get from the provision chain. The report solely provides lip-service to the iPhone Duo and the split-launch as elements in why, perhaps, Apple might have a unique quantity of Professional orders than it had a yr in the past.
And, we all know from our sources that as we speak, whole-unit meeting orders for the iPhone 18 Professional haven’t been reduce. That claims extra concerning the claims than the rest.
