Less than a week after the launch of the iPhone 14 Plus, yet another report of unexpectedly low sales for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus has emerged, suggesting that Apple may actively reduce stock and orders of components for the devices as soon as this month.
The paywalled report from DigiTimes claims that sales of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are considerably overshadowed by an "enthusiastic" response to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Sources speaking to DigiTimes say that despite differences in sales performance between the Pro and non-Pro iPhone models this year, total iPhone 14 model shipments will likely be around the same as those for the iPhone 13 lineup in the second half of 2021.
If sales of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus "remain flat" in the near term, Apple purportedly may cut orders of parts to make the devices in the second half of October. If Apple cuts orders more aggressively than expected, then the total iPhone 14 lineup shipments by the end of the year may even fall compared to the iPhone 13 series in the same time frame last year. Research indicates that Apple expected to make approximately 90 million new iPhones overall in the second half of 2022, but this could fall to 80 million units due to "sluggish demand."
The information mirrors multiple other reports that suggest the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have not met Apple's sales expectations. Shortly after launch, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that demand for the two devices is "lackluster," with worse pre-order results than the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini. He went as far as to claim that "Apple's product segmentation strategy for standard models fails this year" and Apple is believed to have shelved plans to increase production of the two devices. Display analyst Ross Young says panel orders for the iPhone 14 are down 38 percent versus the iPhone 13 at the same time last year, while in the resale market, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are losing their value twice as fast as the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 last year.
On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max reportedly continue to see high demand. Apple is believed to have shifted production away from the non-Pro models to make more iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max devices, as evidenced by increased component shipments.
