A new report from Nikkei Asia indicates that Apple has reduced production orders for parts for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max due to lower-than-expected demand.
According to ITNA citing 9to5mac, the report says the price increases for these two flagship phones apparently affected consumer purchase decisions and prompted Apple to revise its production plans. Insider sources say the company has asked some suppliers to cut parts production in October.
Published information indicates parts orders for these two models in October will be 15 to 20 percent lower than the initial level. Two supply-chain sources also stated that the order reductions reach at least 15 percent. The impact of this decision on final production is not the same across suppliers, however, because the time needed to manufacture and deliver parts varies. It is not yet clear whether Apple will continue cutting orders after November.
One supply-chain executive said demand for the new models is not as strong as in past years, when all major iPhone models were introduced almost simultaneously. This year Apple has pushed the launch of the standard iPhone 18 to next spring, but according to sources in the report, that change alone cannot explain the drop in demand for the Pro models.
Price increases are also a possible factor. Apple raised the price of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max by $100 compared with the previous generation. This increase may have deterred some buyers from purchasing immediately; however, the higher price could partially offset the revenue impact of selling fewer units.
Meanwhile, one supply-chain source predicted that the iPhone Duo might face similar conditions after its potential launch and that Apple could reduce its production orders as well. That prediction remains unconfirmed.
Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report for 2026 is scheduled to be released in November. That report could provide a clearer picture of initial market reception for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Until then, reduced parts orders alone are not sufficient to draw definitive conclusions about these phones’ sales performance.