Apple cuts iPhone 18 Pro orders by at least 15% on soft demand

Apple has asked suppliers to cut production of iPhone 18 Pro components because demand came in lower than expected, according to a Nikkei Asia report published on 9 October 2026. Component orders for October were cut by at least 15 percent compared with what Apple originally requested, two of the report's sources said. The cut affects the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the two premium models in Apple's lineup.9to5mac.com

The order reduction matters because it is the first concrete signal that higher prices have slowed sales of Apple's newest flagship phones. Apple has been more cautious about shipments since early September because rising memory chip costs pushed retail prices up. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299, each $100 more than the models they replace.

What the order cut covers

One executive-level source said that orders from Apple in October alone were reducing by 15% to 20% for both premium models, adding that it was unclear how things would develop from there. The cuts will affect production volumes for some, but not all, suppliers in October, because production lead times differ. It is not immediately clear whether Apple will make further adjustments from November onward.

Apple publicly blamed artificial-intelligence-driven memory chip costs for recent price increases across its lineup, which also raised prices on MacBooks, iPads, and iPhone 16 and 17 models. The iPhone 18 Pro models carry 12GB of random access memory (RAM), the working memory a phone uses to run apps, matching last year's iPhone 17 Pro. One rumour holds that Apple had planned 16GB of RAM for the iPhone 18 Pro but dropped it because of higher cost.

A second supply chain manager said that demand was not as strong as previous years when all new models launch together. Apple is expected to release the regular iPhone 18 in the spring of 2027, alongside the lower-cost iPhone 18e and the ultra-thin iPhone Air 2, splitting what is usually a single announcement.

Why prices rose and demand fell

The price increases mean lower demand will not immediately translate into lower revenue for Apple, the Nikkei Asia report explained, because each phone sold brings in more money than before. One source added that they expected a similar fate for the iPhone Duo after its release, referring to potential production cuts. The report cited multiple people familiar with the matter, and its findings were not confirmed by Apple.

Apple shares fell more than 2.5% in early trading on 9 October 2026 after the Nikkei Asia report on order cuts became public. The share price move shows investors treated the order reduction as a signal about iPhone demand rather than a routine supply adjustment. The report tied the weaker demand to both the $100 price increases and higher memory costs weighing on buyers.macrumors.com

How markets and suppliers responded

Apple will report fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 earnings on Monday, November 6, which will show the first several weeks of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max demand. That filing is the next dated point at which the order cuts can be measured against actual sales figures. Whether Apple adjusts orders again from November onward remains open, and the company has not publicly commented on the reported cuts.