Due to lower-than-expected sales, Apple cut iPhone 14 Plus drastically only two weeks after its launch. Based on information from the company’s suppliers and channel operator, DigiTimes reports that the production volume of the iPhone 14 Plus has been cut by 40%.
To redeem the performance flaws of the 5.4-inch iPhone mini model, this year, Apple replaced it with the 6.7-inch iPhone model with a larger display and longer battery life. However, the company also widened the gap between standard and Pro iPhone models which appears to be the reason for sluggish sales of the iPhone 14 Plus.
Apple to ship only 10 million iPhone 14 Plus units in 2022
When pre-orders opened for the new iPhone series on September 9, iPhone 14 Plus was the only model with the longest availability time, October 6 and it was also the only model to see the weakest sales. The same trend has continued for the model even after launch.
Some iPhone 14 supply chain makers and channel operators have confirmed that Apple has decided to cut back its orders for the iPhone 14 Plus due to the sluggish sales of the model, according to industry sources.- DigiTimes
At the time, tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that “both of the new iPhone standard models saw worse pre-order results than iPhone 13 mini and iPhone SE 3. And iPhone 14 Plus in particular saw “significantly lower than expected” demand.”
The new report corroborates Kuo’s claims and mentions that outside China, iPhone 14 Plus shipments have been flat which has made Apple revise its shipment ratio. Sources report that the company might downward its shipments to 10 million units for this year.
Trade-in values of the iPhone 14 models also revealed that standard iPhone 14 models have depreciated 2x more than last year’s lineup in the same timeframe.
On the other hand, Apple is expected to prioritize the shipments of the iPhone 14 Pro lineup due to its strong demand. Previously, an increase in components shipments reported by SellCell suggested that Apple might be shifting production away from the standard iPhone 14 models to manufacture more iPhone 14 Pro models.
