Apple Said to be “Cautious” About 2018 iPhone Component Orders

[Maura]

According to a new report from Nikkei, via MacRumors, Apple is taking a “cautious approach” with 2018 iPhone component pre-orders, and has therefore asked for its suppliers to manufacture “around 20% fewer” components for its new iPhones.

Nikkei says that according to its four sources in Apple’s supply chain, Apple has placed orders for production of 80 million iPhones in 2018, which is down from orders for 100 million that it placed in 2017.

This latest report from Nikkei also ties in with recent reports from TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that all three new iPhones will ship in September 2018. Nikkei’s source says that while previous reports of low yields for the new LCD iPhone were true at one point, the situation is now “improving.”

Nikkei’s sources also said that Apple told its supply chain to “prepare earlier” for the new OLED phones in order to ensure that there will be no launch delays, unlike last year, when the release of the iPhone X was delayed until November 2017.

With Apple shares falling after Nikkei's story was published today, as AppleInsider writes in a separate report, sections of the media are already rushing to give the report an anti-Apple spin, just as they did last year, with claims about poor iPhone X sales that proved to be false.

"Supply chain needlessly predicting doom and gloom for 2108 iPhone early," goes the AppleInsider headline to an article that goes on to remind the reader of Tim Cook's words back in 2013, which are just as relevant today. "The supply chain is very complex," said Cook. "And we obviously have multiple sources for things."

Sources: Apple Taking 'Cautious Approach' to iPhone Assembly This Year, Lowering Component Orders by 20%
Supply chain needlessly predicting doom and gloom for 2018 iPhone early