Kuo says orders for iPhone 14 have not been cut, despite recent claims

A recent report from Digitimes claimed that Apple has cut back on orders for the iPhone 14 by 10%. Reputable TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo took to Twitter recently to share his doubts regarding the report.

Apple still expected strong demand for iPhone 14

Digitimes recently said that though the mass production of Apple’s upcoming flagship lineup has started, the target shipment of the “first wave of 90 million units has been reduced by 10%.”

Digitimes reports Friday that Apple’s main chip supplier, TSMC, has seen a sudden downturn in fortunes because of three major customers cutting back orders. The report says that both AMD and NVIDIA are both tightening their belts, and Apple has reportedly cut iPhone 14 orders by 10%:

Ming-Chi Kuo shared his response to the report in a Twitter thread:

My take for the rumored TSMC’s iPhone 14 orders cut by 10%.

1. Rumored TSMC’s iPhone 14 orders cut by 10% is not aligned with my survey. I currently maintain my 2H22 shipment forecast for iPhone 14, about 100 mn and 90 mn units for components and EMS, respectively.

2. Apple’s slight adjustments for iPhone shipment forecasts (single-digit increase/decrease) are common, including new models before mass production.

The analyst went on to say that Apple does not make marked changes to shipping forecasts ahead of launch. In addition, Kuo said that Apple typically postpones orders rather than cutting them.

We know that the lineup will include four models: the 6.1-inch iPhone 14, 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Cupertino tech giant is dropping the 5.4-inch ‘mini’ variant with this year’s model in favor of a larger standard iPhone. 

As for the design, we predict based on previous industry reports that the upcoming lineup will feature a thicker design and a larger rear-camera bump. Apple is also expected to introduce a new pill + hole punch cutout which will house the front-facing camera and Face ID components.

As for internals, this year’s standard models will stick to the A15 chip while the Pro variants will be powered by the next-generation A16 Bionic chip. The Pro models will also sport a 48MP rear camera system with support for 8K video recording.

One upgrade that will be available in all models is the upgraded 48-megapixel front camera, which can be corroborated by numerous reports from TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. As revealed by Kuo, the front camera will also feature autofocus which will offer sharper images and improved picture quality.