As it does in most years, Apple is taking a cue from the pre-order week to align its production orders with actual iPhone demand across the lineup. Here are the details.
As reported by The Information, Apple is increasing iPhone 17 production, following a strong week of pre-orders in which the device may have done better than expected. From the report:
“Earlier this week, Apple asked Luxshare Precision, one of the two main iPhone assemblers in China—in addition to Foxconn—to raise daily production of the standard iPhone 17 by around 40%, two people said. The company also told a supplier of non-electrical parts for that model to increase its daily output by roughly 30%, according to an employee at that firm.”
Today’s news follows a report earlier in the year in which The Information stated that Apple expected the standard iPhone 17 to account for 25% of total production, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max for 65%, and the iPhone Air for the remaining 10%.
In today’s report, The Information notes that the early revision in iPhone production targets may signal that consumers are less willing to spend as much as Apple had hoped for the new lineup, especially with the iPhone Air debuting at a price so close to the Pro models:
“The shift suggests more consumers than Apple expected opted to buy the cheaper iPhone 17 model, which retails for $799 in the U.S., rather than the premium Pro models, which cost $1,099 and more but which usually feature significantly better build materials, cameras, processors and displays.”
Apple has spent considerable effort since the Awe Dropping event to position the iPhone Air as a non-Pro iPhone Pro, stating that it wanted consumers to be left in doubt about which of the two to purchase.
It is worth noting that for the first time, the base iPhone model has features such as ProMotion, a more advanced camera system, and the new Center Stage feature for the front camera. This may be tipping consumer interest towards the entry-level device, as the more advanced features tend to turn less appealing on a cost-benefit basis to regular consumers.
9to5Mac’s take
As we mentioned earlier in the week, when we noted that the iPhone Air was the only widely available variant during the pre-order period, it is way too early in the cycle to point to winners or losers in the new lineup. Production target adjustments are common, and Apple does that every year.
That said, it is interesting to see that iPhone 17 demand may have been higher than Apple had anticipated, considering the introduction of the iPhone Air, and the traditional demand for the Pro models.
As for how much the company was caught off-guard, we’ll find out in the coming weeks, as we track how long it takes for each device to become more readily available.
What’s your take on the production target revision? Let us know in the comments.
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