Apple Halts Production Of iPhone Mini – Report

Apple has reportedly pulled the plug on production of the iPhone 12 Mini, amid poor demand for the smaller iPhones from consumers.

Taiwanese research firm TrendForce has claimed that production of the smallest iPhone has already ended.

If true, this should come as no surprise. In March Nikkei Asia reported that Apple had told its suppliers to reduce iPhone 12 Mini production by 70 percent due to it not selling as well as expected.

End-of-Life

According to TrendForce, “Apple is expected to benefit from Huawei’s abandonment of some market share for high-end smartphones, and the sales of the new iPhone devices in 2H21 will likely be boosted thanks to this development.”

“Although the ongoing capacity crunch in the foundry industry will have a constraining effect on Apple in terms of ramping up its iPhone production and growing its market share in the future, TrendForce is still maintaining a cautiously optimistic view and forecasts that the annual total iPhone smartphone production for 2021 will grow by around 12.3 percent YoY to 223 million units, with additional room for a slight growth going forward,” said the research firm.

TrendForce also predicted that going forward, “the general outward appearance of the upcoming iPhone devices, the notch on top of the screen will shrink due to the decreased size of their sensor housings.”

But it concluded its research by noting that the iPhone 12 mini had “reached End-of-Life ahead of time” during the second quarter of 2021.”

“Furthermore, Apple is expected to focus on driving sales of the three non-mini models in the iPhone 12s series in view of the fact that the iPhone 12 mini (which reached End-of-Life ahead of time in 2Q21) suffered disappointing sales performances compared to other models in the iPhone 12 family,” said TrendForce.

Surprising arrival?

Apple it should be remembered had launched the iPhone 12 line on 13 October 2020, following a month-long delay due to disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The arrival of the iPhone 12 Mini, which boasts a 5.4 inch display and is priced at $699 (£699), had surprised some observers.

Apple claimed at the time the small iPhone would fit seamlessly in the hand and would appeal to fans of smaller smartphones.

But analysts were not overly impressed at the battery found in the the iPhone 12 mini, which was actually a lot small than the battery in the older iPhone 11.

This was a bit of an issue, considering that the iPhone 12 series (including the iPhone 12 mini) was the first Apple handsets to be 5G compatible. And a 5G phone typically consumes more power than a 4G only handset, analysts warned at the time.

Chip shortage

And lets not forget there is also a global chip shortage, that has already seen Apple warn will impact its newly announced iPad and Mac portfolio.

For the time being the iPhone 12 Mini is still available for sale on the Apple UK website, despite the reported end of production.

Apple is still expected to unveil an iPhone 13 mini later this year, but rumours suggest the 5.4-inch model will be discontinued in 2022.