Soaring demand for the iPhone 17 lineup seems to have finally come to an end, amid rumors that Apple has finally lowered expectations and reduced production plans by 15%.
In a pair of posts on Weibo, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said the claim comes from reliable sources within the supply chain. The leaker said that the iPhone 17's current outlook "won't hold for long," adding that "major global smartphone manufacturers — Apple included — have all lowered their shipment forecasts."
The second post provides broader industry context for that claim. Xiaomi has reportedly reduced its shipment targets by approximately 20–30%, while OPPO, vivo, and Honor are also lowering their targets by roughly 15–30%.
A simpler explanation for softening iPhone 17 demand may be the natural product cycle. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to launch in September alongside Apple's first foldable iPhone, and many customers who were going to buy an iPhone 17 model have likely already done so following a near-record sales run stretching back to launch last September.
As recently as June, TrendForce reported that Apple's iPhone production surged 19.7% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, even as the broader global smartphone market contracted 1.7% over the same period. That report attributed Apple's strong output to the launch of the iPhone 17e alongside ongoing production ramp-up for the broader iPhone 17 lineup, and described Apple as better positioned than most competitors to absorb rising memory component costs without sacrificing profitability.
In May, Counterpoint Research's Global Handset Model Sales Tracker found the iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in the first quarter of 2026, capturing 6% of worldwide unit sales, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro in second and third place. A separate Counterpoint report that same month found Apple had topped the global smartphone market in a first quarter for the first time ever, capturing 21% of global shipments and growing 9% year-over-year even as the overall market contracted 3%.
The iPhone 17 lineup's strong run began at launch. Shortly after release in September 2025, Apple told two suppliers to increase daily iPhone 17 output by at least 30% following a strong pre-order weekend, and Counterpoint found the lineup outsold the iPhone 16 models by 14% during the first 10 days in the United States and China. In January, Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC that demand for the iPhone during the holiday quarter was "simply staggering" and had surpassed the company's own expectations, with iPhone revenue reaching $85.2 billion, a new all-time high.
After nine months and with another generation on the horizon, it was inevitable that the iPhone 17 lineup's remarkably strong run would come to an end eventually.
