Apple has cut parts orders for its newly released iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max by 15% from earlier plans, according to reports. Analysts attribute the move to slowing consumer demand after surging memory chip prices pushed iPhone prices higher.
Japanese business outlet Nikkei Asia, citing multiple sources, reported that Apple began lowering its iPhone shipment outlook in early September and reduced October parts orders by at least 15% from its original plan, Reuters said on the 11th. Reuters said it could not independently verify the Nikkei Asia report and that Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Price increases driven by rising memory chip costs are cited as the reason behind the smaller orders. Global tech giants have been securing memory chips to build AI data centers, leading to supply shortages and higher prices. That has raised production costs for smartphone and PC makers and increased the burden on consumers as product prices rise.
Apple also raised iPad and MacBook prices in June. At the time, the company said it could no longer absorb the higher costs on its own as prices for memory and storage chips soared amid the expansion of AI data centers. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, launched last month, start at $1,199 and $1,299, respectively. Both models are $100 more expensive than their predecessors, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
In South Korea, the iPhone 18 Pro is priced at 1.99 million won for the 256-gigabyte model, 2.29 million won for 512 gigabytes, 2.89 million won for 1 terabyte and 3.79 million won for 2 terabytes. The iPhone 18 Pro Max sells for 2.19 million won, 2.49 million won, 3.09 million won and 3.99 million won for the same storage tiers.
Nikkei Asia noted that demand for Apple products weakened from late August through October. The outlet said changes to the launch schedule for individual iPhone models may also have contributed to the slowdown. Along with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple unveiled a foldable smartphone called the Duo last month. Preorders for the Duo begin in South Korea at 9 p.m. on the 16th, with the official release set for the 23rd.
Questions Over 'Panic-Full' Crashes
Separately, complaints continue over a "panic-full" problem in the iPhone 18 Pro series, in which devices suddenly shut down and restart. According to the IT industry, users of the iPhone 18 Pro series have reported that the issue persisted even after operating system updates. The term refers to cases in which the screen freezes or the device abruptly reboots during use, leaving an error log labeled "panic-full" in the analytics data.
Data submitted by Apple Korea to the office of Rep. Kim Jang-kyum of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, showed that about 1,500 product exchanges and 50 refunds were recorded over the panic-full issue between the domestic launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max on the 18th of last month and the 28th of the same month. That amounts to 1,550 exchanges and refunds in just 11 days after the release.