iPhone 14 Plus: Apple suspends production of the smartphone, it cannot seduce fans
Apple’s stock price fell on Tuesday following a report that the company asked a supplier to stop producing a component of the iPhone 14 Plus while it reevaluates demand.
According to a new report from The Information, which cites two people familiar with Apple’s supply chain, the American company has reportedly asked at least one manufacturer in China to stop production of parts for the iPhone 14 Plus model. In question, a fairly low popularity for this version, which had already experienced disappointing pre-orders just after its launch last month.
The company decided to temporarily suspend production in the factory in order to better assess the demand for the device, and therefore to adjust the production rate accordingly. We imagine that after this, Apple will decide to reduce the number of iPhone 14 Plus manufactured compared to its initial objectives. Two Chinese suppliers who assemble iPhone parts have reduced production by 70% and 90%, according to The Information.
The iPhone 14 Plus could experience the same failure as the iPhone 13 mini
With its new iPhone 14 series, Apple had chosen to replace its mini model with a “Plus” model. The American giant hoped that the latter would become more popular, since users seem to appreciate large format iPhones, but it finally turns out that itThis model probably did not achieve the objectives set by Apple.
Since the iPhone 14s are really very similar to the previous generation, Apple has seen a strong increase in the popularity of its Pro models this year, which have brought important new features. These include the new design with Dynamic Island, or an updated photo part with larger sensors. Apple expected the Pro Max model to become the most requested in 2022, but the company probably didn’t expect sales of its 14 Plus version to be so low.
Anyway, this news comes right after the announcement of a major loss of momentum for the smartphone market, which fell 9% in the third quarter compared to the same period last year. Apple was the only manufacturer to maintain positive growth, but this production halt for one of the models could well lead to lower sales in the coming months.