This year’s report carries a lot more weight due to current market conditions, and there’s probably some truth to the idea that some people are putting off buying a new phone. The iPhone 18 Pro isn’t a huge improvement over the iPhone 17 Pro, the cheaper models won’t arrive until next year, and the models with more storage are much more expensive than ever. It all adds up to the likelihood that Apple is selling fewer iPhone Pro models than last year.
But there is another possibility. In just one week, Apple will open pre-orders for the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, which starts at $1,999. It’s the most expensive phone Apple has ever sold and is expected to sell out very quickly due to supply constraints, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some models back-ordered through 2027 within hours of becoming available. So it would make sense for Apple to be shifting 15 to 20 percent of production to its new, highly popular, higher-margin model.
If you look at the spec sheet, you will see that the iPhone 18 Pro and Duo share the same processor/memory and storage capabilities, which turns out to be the main reason for the supply issues. Again, it would make sense for Apple to reduce production of the iPhone 18 Pro to free up those components for the iPhone Duo.
Want more proof that this isn’t a sign of pessimism? In 2017, it was reported on October 19 that Apple had cut production of the iPhone 8 by a whopping 50 percent due to what one carrier called “anemic” sales. That phone started at $699, while the iPhone Sound familiar?
Late last month we reported that Apple had already set up a pre-order page for the iPhone Duo that does little more than let you choose a color and storage size. It’s not about convenience or ease of ordering: Apple uses systems like these to gauge interest and demand for its devices, and something tells me it will be “blown away” by the demand for the iPhone Duo. So don’t worry, Apple is doing very well.
