William Gallagher
As new component shortages add to previous coronavirus-related production delays for the 5G iPhone 12 range, Apple has ordered more than 20 million of the iPhone 11, iPhone SE, and iPhone XR — but not the iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Backing up recent reports of component shortages, a new supply chain rumor claims that Apple is turning to its older iPhone models.
According to the Nikkei Asian Report, suppliers have been asked to prepare in excess of 20 million older iPhones between October and the end of the year. It's believed that this is to help both with holiday shopping demand, and also sales in early 2021.
Of those 20 million, unnamed "executive-level" sources said that the majority are for the iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE. Each is said to have received close to 10 million orders, while no figures were quoted for the iPhone XR.
"The orders for older models are really better than expected," said one source. Another told Nikkei Asian Report that, "the momentum for the iPhone 11 is surprisingly strong and keeps going."
That sourced added, though, "that's not the case for [iPhone 11] Pro and [iPhone 11] Pro Max." A further source claimed that, "it's about time for the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max [to stop production entirely, rather than] affect sales of the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max."
Apple is no longer selling the iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max. It does continue to sell the iPhone 11, iPhone SE, and iPhone XR.
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
11 Comments
This could also be to help with long term inventory stock due to uncertainty of the future of their supply chain costs and availability. Apple knows they’re able to get them now and how much they will cost. Who knows how much they’ll cost and their availability to Apple 4 months from now.
That means order now or else wait till February to get iPhone 12 models!
Or Apple could have anticipated this weeks/months ago and the order isn’t anything new but simply a part of their overall expected product mix.
Headline:
Apple orders over 20 million older iPhones to combat shortages of iPhone 12 models
Reality:
a new supply chain rumor claims that Apple is turning to its older iPhone models.
Anyone notice the difference?
Not sure how ordering older iPhone models help combact new iPhone 12 shortage ? This means people want to upgrade to relatively newer release of iPhones irrespective of 5G or not !