With Apple’s next iPhone likely to launch this fall, it’s hardly surprising to hear that Apple is starting to scale back orders of existing iPhones. In fact, according to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu (via CNET), Apple appears to be scaling iPhone productiion back as much as 25% – a significant sign that new iPhone hardware is indeed planned to launch within the coming months.
Production changes among Apple’s manufacturing partners are typically very good signs of what’s coming from the company – and it makes sense for Apple to begin decreasing production of current iPhone models now so they have less inventory to deal with when the next-gen iPhone launches this fall.
Wu’s claims seem very believable, especially when placed in a historical perspective. Apple launched the iPhone 4S in October of last year, and reportedly began scaling back production of the iPhone 4 in late June.
Considering that the next-gen iPhone will likely be in even higher demand than the iPhone 4S, it makes sense for Apple and their suppliers to begin preparing somewhat earlier than last year.