Apple has extended the reduced production for its iPhones for another quarter. The April-June period will continue to see a decline in the manufacturing of the devices.
Nikkei reported that the poor performance of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus in the market has caused Apple to adjust its inventories. The company has already lowered production for the January-March period by around 30% from the last year.
It was noted that Apple's iPhone sales continue to be sluggish. The company has announced to its parts suppliers in Japan and other locations that it will retain the reduced amount of output in the current quarter.
Apparently, Apple will not be producing a large volume of the iPhone SE, which would have offset the failure of its flagship series. The 4-inch phone was released last month.
The company may decide to give the iPhone 7 an earlier release date than the usual September launch, though. Parts production for the device could take off by the end of May.
This production cut has already hurt Japanese parts suppliers such as liquid crystal display panel manufacturers Japan Display and Sharp, memory chip supplier Toshiba as well as Sony, which provides image sensors for cameras. Apple's extension of the iPhone's production cut could have serious repercussions for all companies involved.
Meanwhile, Apple iPhone 7's design may have already been leaked according to Apple Insider. The upcoming flagship device will reportedly have a Smart Connector port.
It is also believed to feature a dual camera module and will no longer have a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. There are claims that the company is working on a new pair of Bluetooth EarPods.
The company will have to ensure that the Bluetooth earphones will function seamlessly with the device. iPhone SE users have complained about audio issues with Bluetooth phone calls. This comes when the phone is connected with a vehicle or wireless headset.
For some users, the issue includes the GPS voice navigation feature. Fortunately, streaming music via Bluetooth does not seem to be affected.
