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Apple reportedly slashes Q4 iPhone 4S orders on weaker than expected demand

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 7:35PM EST
BGR

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Apple sold more than 4 million iPhone 4S handsets in the smartphone’s first weekend of availability but according to a new report, Apple thinks demand for its latest phone will stall in the fourth quarter. DigiTimes on Wednesday reported that Apple has cut fourth-quarter iPhone 4S parts orders with its suppliers. The report’s anonymous sources claim that some amount of production volume has been moved from the fourth quarter this year to the first quarter in 2012 due to weaker than expected demand and short supply of some key components. Read on for more.

When similar reports have surfaced in the past, pundits often speculated that Apple initially over-orders to ensure appropriate volume is available, then it cuts back on those orders to adjust for realistic sales estimates. It is unclear if this is the case with the iPhone 4S, presuming DigiTimes’ report is accurate.

Analysts have estimated that Apple could ship more than 40 million iPhones in the fourth quarter this year, thanks largely to strong demand for the iPhone 4S. If demand for the iPhone 4S is in fact not meeting expectations and orders have been lowered as a result, those astronomical estimates seems increasingly unlikely. Apple sold 16.24 iPhone smartphones in the fourth calendar quarter of 2010, and 17.07 million iPhones last quarter.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.