iPhone 5 sales started out with a bang. Sales topped five million during its opening weekend, selling as many in three days as the iPhone 4S sold in an entire month. Since then, the device has been released in many more countries.
Still, it appears that demand is not quite where Apple expected it to be. A new report from the Wall Street Journal indicates that the company has cut orders for various components, including (but not limited to) screens for the devices. The report cites people familiar with the situation. The reason is specified as “weaker-than-expected demand”. The WSJ’s Juro Osawa writes:
Apple’s orders for iPhone 5 screens for the January-March quarter, for example, have dropped to roughly half of what the company had previously planned to order, the people said.
Apple is said to have let parts manufacturers know about the changes in December.
Last week, Walmart announced that the iPhone 5 is now available with unlimited service and no contract, thanks to a deal with Straight Talk Wireless. That means that over 2,000 stores (as well as Walmart’s site) offer this deal for $650 and an additional $45 a month for a no contract plan. This includes unlimited talk, text and data. that’s sure to interest a few people.
Last week, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said that the carrier would be getting the iPhone within the next three or four months. That will, without a doubt, increase demand significantly.