Apple reportedly cuts iPhone 15 series production this year; analyst gives two solid reasons why

9to5Mac has seen a note to investors that was written by analyst Jeff Pu. In the note, Pu mentions that Apple will end up producing 77 million iPhone 15 series units by the end of this year. That will be down 6 million handsets or 7.2% from the 83 million iPhone 15 series units that Pu originally thought Apple would manufacture in 2023. Pu says that there are two reasons for the production cut.

One reason has to do with issues that suppliers are having getting some of their components out in the quantity that Apple needs. Specific parts that have been a problem for Apple this year  include Sony's camera sensors, the titanium chassis for the iPhone 15 Pro models, and the new displays with thinner bezels. 

This seconds an earlier report that explained how Apple's OLED suppliers are using a new manufacturing technique this year to produce the OLED panels for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max that will allow the displays to sport thinner bezels. Even though the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will sport the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch OLED displays respectively as last year, the small decrease in the size of the bezels would add additional screen real estate for users.

The second reason why Pu says that Apple has decided to cut production of iPhone 15 models this year is due to "demand concerns," Pu writes, "The build plan cut before launch isn't a positive signal, and the potential price hike for iPhone 15 Pro Max could also dampen the end-demand," the analyst said. There is speculation surrounding a possible $100 to $200 price hike for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max respectively. 

Apple has not raised the prices of the iPhone in the U.S. since 2017. Last year, Apple was forced to raise iPhone prices outside of the States in order to make up for a strong dollar which reduced how much money Apple took in from foreign iPhone sales when converted back into U.S. dollars. With the dollar a little weaker this year, Apple might keep handset prices flat outside of the U.S. and raise them in the States.

We could see Apple introduce the new iPhone 15 series on September 12th, start pre-orders just three days later, and release the new phones on September 22nd.