Apple's Suppliers Projecting Weak Demand for iPhone 7 Due to 'Lack of Innovation'

fv_iphone_7_render_bottomApple recently reported its first year-over-year decline in iPhone sales, with CEO Tim Cook claiming one of the reasons is that the upgrade cycle for the larger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s series has stretched out longer than it anticipated.

Despite the launch of the lower-priced iPhone SE, that decline is expected to continue into the second half of this year. In reporting its first negative-growth quarter since 2003, Apple forecasted another revenue drop next quarter.

The sales decline is placing downward pressure on Apple's overseas suppliers, who have ridden the iPhone's coattails to success over the past half-dozen years. Not only does LCD supplier Japan Display reportedly expect to post a nearly $300 million loss for the fiscal year ended March, but Nikkei reports that Apple's slowdown is also sending Taiwanese suppliers into a downward spiral.

"Suppliers are saying that they are getting fewer orders for the second half of this year compared with the year-ago period," a source said. "The traditional peak season this year will not be able to compare to the past few years."

The report claims Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), one of Apple's primary chip suppliers, may ship up to 30% fewer chips in the second half of 2016 compared to the year-ago period. The decline is attributed to the iPhone 7's expected lack of innovative features, saturation of the smartphone market, increased competition, and a global economic slowdown.

Another source said that for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the sole supplier for the latest A10 chips used in iPhone 7, its iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 chip shipments for the June to December period will likely shrink to 70%--80% of the level reached in the second half of 2015.

Apple suppliers Largan Precision, LG Display, Catcher Technology, Foxconn, and Pegatron have and will likely continue to face similar declines in the near term.

Largan Precision, a key high-end camera module supplier for Apple's iPhone, reported its first year-on-year decline in revenue in three years in the last quarter of 2015. The company has suffered a revenue fall for five months in a row since last December.

Adam Lin, chief executive of Largan, attributed the dip to a "significant scale-back of orders from a major customer."

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the latter of which may be branded with a "Pro" name instead, in September. Newly leaked drawings suggest both smartphones may have no 3.5mm headphone jack and a single speaker, while a dual-lens camera system and Smart Connector will seemingly be exclusive to the larger 5.5-inch model with 3GB of RAM.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive These Five Perks

Wednesday July 9, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, did you know that Apple offers you five perks beyond the extra storage space, at no additional cost? Here are the perks included with all iCloud+ plans:Private Relay keeps your Safari browsing history entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple. Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed. Hom...

Top Rated Comments

chrismail627 Avatar
120 months ago
Finally someone acknowledges the lack of innovation! Hopefully Apple gets a wake up call.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nelmat Avatar
120 months ago
I'm really losing patience with Apple. Massive product line-ups, confusing for the average purchaser. No fresh design, slow/sloppy implementation of software, services and hardware. It really does feel like a downward slope.

Of course, the company can afford to let things slide a bit, they're no going bust any time soon, but I'm considering a move away from Apple for the first time since 1987. I've drunk the cool-aid, my entire ecosystem is Apple, but I'm about done. AirDrop is a mess, hand-off works when it feels like it, software updates are hidden and unclear, search in App Store and iTunes Store is flakey at best. iLife and iWork suites are forgotten and left in the dust by free and inexpensive software from small developers.

Where is the excitement, where is the fun? It really is stagnant.

Just my opinion, others will disagree with me, but surely all will agree there's been nothing exciting for a couple of years. No more 'one more thing'. The iPad is dead, the Mac Pro stagnant, the Thunderbolt Display as good as a fossil. It's a real shame. Incremental updates, while sucking all the colour out of the world.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ericgtr12 Avatar
120 months ago
It's far more about marketing than innovation at this point.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sputnikv Avatar
120 months ago
this is pathetic
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
btrach144 Avatar
120 months ago
The rumored 2018 iPhone should be coming out in 2017. Apple is losing control... or maybe Tim Cook is losing control of Apple.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sloppy.Joe Avatar
120 months ago
Is the iPhone 7 out already? I must have missed it.

Obviously we know everything about the iP7 and have reached an accurate conclusion that it lacks innovation.

Good thing no one has jumped to conclusions.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)