IPhone Production Down 25% In Preparation For Next-Gen Model

It’s that time again! Old iPhone production is slowing to prepare for the influx of new iPhone orders that will need to be filled in a couple short months. In other words, this is the calm before the storm.

Shaw Wu, an analyst for Sterne Agee, claims that Apple has cut orders for the iPhone 4S by 20-25% for the March quarter. The reasoning? The fast-approaching launch of the sixth-generation iPhone. According to Wu,

“From our understanding, the reason for the reduction is not demand related but rather due to the upcoming 6th generation iPhone refresh likely in the September-October timeframe.

It appears that AAPL is opting to be conservative with its suppliers to factor in a potential 2-quarter pause ahead of the refresh and also to manage inventory. We believe this helps explain why its June quarter guidance was somewhat more conservative.”

As Cult of Mac points out, this “2-quarter pause” means that an iPhone launch at WWDC would be impossible. It seems much more likely that we’ll have to wait until the Fall to get our hands on Apple’s latest toy.

Of course, it’s no surprise that a new iPhone is coming, but seeing actual preparation for its impending arrival as opposed to speculation and rumors is definitely exciting. I can’t wait for the next iPhone to arrive.

I’m looking for something that’s really going to shine. The iPhone 4S is great, but it certainly didn’t elicit the same amount of “look how shiny and brand new it is” excitement as the first-gen iPhone or the iPhone 4, simply because it was so similar to the iPhone 4.

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