Marketing research firm NPD DisplaySearch has added to recent reports this weekend that Apple is telling its suppliers to cut iPhone 5c production and increase 5s output.
Citing ‘channel checks,’ the firm sent out a research note yesterday claiming that the Cupertino company is cutting 5c orders by 35%, and increasing 5s orders by 75%…
From yesterday’sresearch note(viaAllThingsD):
“The diverging fates of Apple’s iPhone 5s and 5c have been widely reported, and our latest channel checks confirm that Apple indeed has cut back 5c production by 35% and increased 5s production by 75%.
…While the fate of the iPhone 5c is still to be determined, the iPhone 5s is doing quite well, indicating that Apple still has a strong hardcore base for its premium devices. It is worth mentioning that iPhone 5 production is scheduled to end Q3 2013; iPhone 4s’s end of life is still to be determined, as it still receives orders of 1 to 2 million units per month and only recently started selling in Indonesia.”
DisplaySearch’s report follows a similar one fromThe Wall Street Journal, which also noted the increases and decreases in 5s/5c orders. And they both echo a story fromC Technology.
The consensus from much of the tech world seems to be that Apple cutting 5c orders is a sign that it’s not selling well, but there are also severalvalid counter-argumentsto this theory.
Of course, we won’t know anything for sure until Apple announces its iPhone sales onOctober 28. I doubt they’ll break out 5s and 5c figures, but if the total is big enough, it won’t matter.
