Apple has told some suppliers to cut production of components for its newly launched iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, as soaring memory chip costs and price increases have dampened consumer demand. Nikkei Asia reported it, citing several people familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately verify the report, and Apple did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
According to the Japanese newspaper, Apple has become more conservative on shipments since early September. Component orders for October have been cut by at least 15% compared with the original request. Nikkei also reports softer demand from late August into October, though this could be linked to Apple's changed launch schedule for iPhone models.
Memory costs weigh on prices
Prices are rising because technology companies are buying large amounts of advanced chips and memory for AI data centers. That buying spree has created shortages and price increases that are expected to shrink both the personal computer and smartphone markets this year. In June Apple raised iPad and MacBook prices, saying it could no longer absorb the higher cost of memory and storage chips. The general price increase on iPhones tied to AI costs points the same way.
The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max start at $1,199 and $1,299 in the United States, $100 more than the 17 Pro models they replace. In Italy the official starting price of the 6.3-inch model with 256 GB is 1,489 euros, while the Pro Max with 2 TB costs 1,639 euros. The phones have been on sale since September 18, alongside Apple Watch Series 12 and AirPods 5.
A split launch calendar
The order cut comes as Apple has split its lineup across launches. The base iPhone 18 was not presented in September and is slipping to March 2027, while the Pro models arrived in September together with the company's first foldable. That choice may partly explain the demand drop Nikkei describes: buyers waiting for a standard iPhone may have postponed their purchase.
The cut applies only to components for the Pro models. The report offers no sales data, so it is unclear how much the drop will affect total volumes for the quarter. Apple has not yet commented on the report.
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