KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 ― Apple’s iPhone 12 Mini has not had the best of times since its launch late last year. After initial mixed reviews, sales for their smaller device had been fairly disappointing when compared to the other models in the lineup. And now, it appears as though Apple is pulling the plug on the iPhone 12 Mini earlier than expected.
According to a new press release by market research firm TrendForce, the Cupertino giant has moved the iPhone 12 Mini to an End-of-Life status, meaning it’s no longer in production by Apple. This comes after the Mini variant endured some disappointing sales, compared to the other models in the iPhone 12 lineup. It seems as though the focus now for Apple is to sell off its current stock of the 5.4-inch smartphone, with no more in the pipeline.
We have to say though that this move isn’t completely out of the blue. Back in January of this year — and just months after its launch — Apple had reportedly cut iPhone 12 Mini production by 2 million units. They then increased production of the iPhone 12 Pro, with poor sales of the Mini balanced out by the unexpected popularity of the Pro model. It also probably helps that Apple stands to make more money from the sales of the iPhone 12 Pro too.
By February, JP Morgan’s supply chain analyst William Yang made the prediction that Apple will be ending production of the iPhone 12 Mini by the second quarter of 2021. Indeed, it appears as though Yang’s predictions have turned out true. That being said, Apple is still likely to turn up with an iPhone 13 Mini when the new lineup of iPhones appear this year. However, some industry analysts are already expecting Apple to drop the 5.4-inch model by 2022.
In the meantime though, the Apple Malaysia website still has the iPhone 12 Mini on sale and in stock at time of writing. If you’ve been eyeing this generation’s Mini, it might be the last time you’ll be able to pull the trigger. ― SoyaCincau
