iPhone 12 Mini Faces Production Cut Due to 'Far Lower' Demand Than Expected

Apple is cutting orders for all iPhones by around 20% compared to its plans in December, with the iPhone 12 mini making up the majority of the cutback, according to Nikkei Asia. In line with previous reports, the publication claims that demand for the iPhone 12 mini has been "far lower than Apple initially expected."

iphone 12 mini pro max side by side
The report claims that Apple initially aimed to secure components for up to 96 million iPhones for the first half of 2021, including the entire iPhone 12 lineup and older models like the iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE, but the company is apparently now targeting production of around 75 million units during that period. That is still slightly higher than iPhone shipments in the same period last year, the report adds.

iPhone 12 mini demand has been so lackluster that Apple even asked some suppliers to temporarily stop building components specifically for the 5.4-inch device, according to Nikkei Asia. Some of the components and parts for the iPhone 12 mini have been reallocated to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, a source told the publication.

Apple is still believed to be seeing healthy demand for its three higher-end iPhone 12 models, with strong sales of the devices helping to contribute to Apple's record-breaking $111.4 billion revenue reported in the December quarter.

While demand for the iPhone 12 mini may be lower than Apple initially expected, the company is still expected to release a so-called iPhone 13 mini this year.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...

Top Rated Comments

MacMartyr Avatar
54 months ago
They should cut the price next.
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robinp Avatar
54 months ago
My wife got one the other day and it’s great. Really a wonderful thing. If I hadn’t needed the Lidar on the Pro for work, I’d probably have gone for it.

I suspect if more people had been able to see them in person more people would have had confidence to try the new size. Hopefully apple stick with it for another year.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
54 months ago
Apple got caught off guard by the noise on this one. Then again, with all thats been going with the pandemic, anticipation turned into, I need to save that $700 for emergencies. Also, that price is just absurd. A maxed out Mini should not cost no more than 650. There is someone at Apple I believe who likes to pull big numbers out of thin air. Price certain things reasonably. When they were a humble company in the 90’s with the iMac, they recognized they had to be reasonable with pricing. These days, they feel like, they can build anything, overcharge for it and there will be a market.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smulji Avatar
54 months ago

A maxed out Mini should not cost no more than 650.
I say it shouldn’t cost more than $599
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
54 months ago

I say it shouldn’t cost more than $599
Why? I thought you guys want a mini flagship. :D But seems like people just want a cheap iPhone, which what the 11 and SE are for.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apparatchik Avatar
54 months ago
I'll buy myself a 13 or 12S Mini when it comes out, may be there are less of us than expected or we're just a vocal minority of bitter bastards, but to me the Mini size is a god send. I'm 6 feet, big hands, etc. But to me phones just have to be simple, one hand devices. You can get an iPad for the other use cases, I dont know. Its just so great to handle a phone like its supposed to, and for it to be not a fat and large shiny brick.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)