Apple Reportedly Shifting iPhone Production Balance More Toward iPhone 6 Plus

Supply of Apple's iPhone 6 Plus may gradually improve as Apple shifts production in favor of the unexpectedly popular handset, according to upstream supply chain sources speaking to Digitimes. This claim echoes an earlier report that suggests the iPhone 6 Plus may account for up to 60 percent of total future iPhone 6 device shipments.

iphone6-stock-photo
Though the production ratio has been adjusted to meet demand for the 6 Plus, retail supply will take time to improve as component suppliers and assemblers gradually ramp up to meet this new level of production.

But most component suppliers' current inventories are not sufficient for extra iPhone 6 Plus orders, and device manufacturers also do not have sufficient production lines for related assembly. Therefore, the retail channel may need to wait a while before seeing a signifciant increase in iPhone 6 Plus supply, the sources noted.

The supply of Apple's iPhone 6 Plus has been constrained since its launch last month. The handset quickly sold out during pre-orders and has remained in short supply. The estimated online shipment time for the handset currently sits at three to four weeks with iPhone tracking websites showing little to no inventory at brick and mortar retail stores.

Real-world usage is showing strong preference for the smaller iPhone 6 model, but with availability constraints on the iPhone 6 Plus, that result is not unexpected. With an upcoming launch in China on October 17, reservations there are seeing a more even split between the two sizes.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

bit_bucket Avatar
125 months ago
Bendgate is in high demand after all.

Just stop it with the Bendgate. Many of us have these and they don't bend any worse than any other "metal" phone. It's really getting old this time around. The vitriol and attacks from trolls and some Android users really show the true desperation. Just use what what you like and don't judge someone else if they like something different than you.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
125 months ago
The iPhone 6 Plus is absolutely the best iPhone I have ever used!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
decimortis Avatar
125 months ago
The bendgate snappier wouldn't do that doomed.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfoxpro Avatar
125 months ago
No surprise at all. The 6 Plus is a beast and people will love it. Especially the average user. That screen!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stars_fan Avatar
125 months ago
I finally got to the store to check out the new phones. I went home Sunday and ordered a 6+. My estimated ship date is 11/11.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maplingstorie Avatar
125 months ago
"unexpectedly popular handset" What? They seriously didn't see this coming?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...