iPhone SE & AirPods parts suppliers apparently aren't seeing any cut orders

Companies in Apple's supply chain for the iPhone SE and AirPods say that they have not received any instruction to cut production, despite repeated reports claiming they have.

Analysts have reported that Apple's new iPhone SE has seen weak demand from buyers, with some estimating Apple has cut its production orders by up to three million phones. At the same time, Ming-Chi Kuo has said that demand for AirPods 3 was "significantly lower" than for the previous model, saying Apple has cut orders by 30%.

According to a new report from Digitimes, however, Taiwan-based component manufacturers have told the publication that they haven't cut production. More specifically, the unnamed sources say they haven't received any instructions about revising orders.

There is the possibility that analysts were learning of Apple's plans before they were implemented, but first reports of production cuts were back in March 2022. Due to the complex and international nature of Apple's supply chain, it's also possible that cuts reported in one area were actually movements of orders to another manufacturer.

However, that is unlikely because even a movement away from one supplier should have resulted in some of the Digitimes sources receiving instructions to reduce.

Digitimes has a poor reputation for extrapolating Apple's plans for its devices, but it has a much stronger track record regarding its sources within the supply chain. Friday's report is more of the latter than the former.