Apple reduced its planned production of the iPhone 12 mini for the first half of this year, which is part of a broader revision to production plans it drafted late last year, according to reports from the Nikkei Asian Review. Nikkei Asian Review.
The American technology giant has reduced the demands on all iPhones by about 20% compared to its plans last December, as most of the reduction comes on the mini phone, which is considered the cheapest phone that supports Apple's fifth generation network.
Late last year, Apple asked suppliers to secure components and parts for up to 96 million phones, including the entire iPhone 12 lineup for the first 6 months of 2021, and the total also included the older iPhone 11 and iPhone SE models. SE).
At one point, Apple told some suppliers that it needed components for more than 100 million iPhones for the first half of the year, in an effort to secure components and production capacity amid the global shortage.
The company is now targeting production of about 75 million units, which is slightly higher than iPhone shipments in the same period last year.
The company told suppliers it still plans to manufacture 230 million iPhones for 2021, an increase of more than 11% from last year.
The planned production of the iPhone 12 mini will be reduced by 70% or more in the first half of this year, as some suppliers were asked to temporarily stop producing small components for the small phone, while other parts were reallocated to the "iPhone 12 Pro" (iPhone 12 Pro). ) And "iPhone 12 Pro Max" (iPhone 12 Pro Max).
The review reflects a correction to Apple's previous strong reservation of components and parts, at a time when makers of smartphones, computers, servers, cars and more prepare to fight for limited supplies of chips, screens and other resources.
It seems that consumer buying decisions have been affected by reviews of phones when they were first launched in November. For example, CNBC reported that the "iPhone 12 mini" is basically just a smaller version of the "iPhone 12". With worse battery life.
Although it is convincing to people with small hands, most consumers prefer spending an additional $ 100 for the iPhone 12, which has better battery life and a bigger screen.
Nevertheless, the iPhone 12 models have been largely successful for Apple, which no longer reveals how many iPhones it sells each quarter. But in January, research firm IDC said the company had shipped 90.1 million devices during the fourth quarter of 2020, which is "the largest shipment from a seller in one quarter," and that helped in ranking Apple as the first in phone sales in the world, ahead of "Samsung" for the fourth quarter.
Apple's revenue from iPhone for the quarter rose 17% year-over-year as well.