Following a report that Apple was planning to cut iPhone Air production amid lower than expected demand, Nikkei Asia published even harsher information about the company’s thinnest device’s popularity. According to the publication, Apple is drastically cutting iPhone Air orders to adjust the lukewarm reception of these devices in markets outside of China.
With the company cutting back to “end of production” levels, Apple still has a lot of good news about the iPhone 17 lineup, as it continues to have strong overall sales, with the company sticking with its production forecast of 85 to 90 million units. After all, it’s been a month since Apple released the new iPhone models and some configurations are still sold out across the U.S., the UK, France, Switzerland, China, and Japan.
According to the latest data, Apple has increased production orders for the regular iPhone 17 by 5 million units, while also adding orders for the high-end iPhone 17 Pro models.
Apple brings good news for its supply chain
Nikkei Asia says that from the top five phone vendors, Apple is the only one sticking with its original forecast. Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo have suffered a decline in sales. According to a supply chain executive, iPhone 17 orders are “stable and on track.” They add: “It’s already a big relief, as most of us in the electronics supply chain are worried about globally weak macroeconomic conditions and the volatile tariff environment. Apple has even asked us to prepare some additional components in case demand exceeds expectations.”
Still, it’s important to note that like the mini and Plus models, the iPhone Air is also not a sales success. For example, its main competitor, Samsung, has reportedly canceled its Galaxy S26 Edge plans due to low sales.
While Apple has an excuse to be testing technology for the upcoming iPhone Fold, which is said to look like two iPhone Airs side-by-side, Samsung was just trying to anticipate a possible trend by releasing a thin phone before Apple. With that, both companies overestimated the market’s willingness to pay a premium price for a device that lacks great battery life and several cameras.
