Is Apple ending production of the iPhone 12 mini?
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The iPhone 12 mini is selling worse than expected – now there is even a production stop in the room. TECHNOLOGY BUTTON discusses the reasons for the poor sales figures.
iPhone 12 mini falls short of expectations
As early as mid-December, an insider source familiar with Apple’s supply chains reported that sales of the iPhone 12 mini had been slow. This statement was confirmed by a report by the advertising company “Flurry Analytics” . The company evaluates how many smartphones are reactivated every day. It found that in the US, 9 out of the 10 most activated smartphones on Christmas Day were iPhones. While the iPhone 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max were among them, the iPhone 12 mini did not make the list.
A report by the market research company “Consumer Intelligence Research Partners” (CIRP) showed at the beginning of January that the iPhone 12 mini accounted for only 6 percent of the overall strong iPhone sales. Mike Levin from CIRP assumes that the low sales will be disappointing for Apple, as the Apple-focused site ” 9to5Mac “ writes. Although the iPhone 12 mini has the lowest price of all iPhone 12 models, it sold only marginally better than the two-year-old iPhone Xr, the one-year-old iPhone 11, and the iPhone SE 2020. Levin suspects the higher price compared to this makes the iPhone 12 mini unattractive for these models.
Another report followed at the end of January, this time from the investment bank Morgan Stanley. It shows that Apple wants to reduce the production of the iPhone 12 mini by two million units. Allegedly to create more capacity for the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
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Will Apple stop production completely?
Due to the unexpectedly low demand, Apple is now supposedly toying with the idea of stopping production of the iPhone 12 minis early. According to JP Morgan industry analyst William Yang, Apple could increase production of other iPhone models, including the iPhone 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max and 11. The iPhone 12 and the 12 mini would therefore be produced in smaller numbers. Yang assumes that Apple could completely stop manufacturing the mini in the second quarter of 2021 due to the low sales figures.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the iPhone 12 mini is no longer for sale. Slowing down production is just a response to market demand. If a product falls short of expectations, capacities must be relocated to make room for products with higher demand. If Apple should actually stop production for the mini, there is a reason. Namely, that the amount already produced can keep up with the expected demand on the market.
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Hyped in advance as the iPhone for the masses
The weak demand for the iPhone 12 mini is in stark contrast to the high expectations that many testers and market experts had for the device. In a majority of the reviews, testers assumed that the iPhone 12 will be the most popular model. Allegedly due to the lower price and compact form factor that many want back.
While the iPhone 12 mini offers the same performance and camera as the larger iPhone 12, the battery is especially compromised. Despite the small 5.4-inch screen, the mini has a significantly worse battery life than its bigger brothers. This is mainly due to the fact that only a small battery fits into the small housing. At just 2227 mAh, the battery pack is a full 20 percent smaller than in the iPhone 12. Nevertheless, it must power the same components. There is also an even cheaper compact iPhone with the iPhone SE 2020. And if you don’t look at the size but the price, the iPhone 11 is a cheaper alternative to the iPhone 12 mini.
However, it seems like the opinion of tech reviewers doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of buyers. Many may think back to compact smartphones. Some may remember how inconvenient typing and reading the screen was. Now the weak-selling mini iPhone shows that buyers are more interested in large smartphones.
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