iPhone base models are steadily declining in popularity among the general public. Instead, interest in the Pro and Pro Max models continues to grow. People with knowledge of the matter said in an ET report that Apple is reducing production of the standard iPhone 17 made for India due to falling demand after a price hike of over 20% last month. However, exports of this model are still strong. The capacity will be used for exports as demand outside India is strong, said a person involved in the matter. Thus, there will be very little impact on the overall production. At the same time, demand for the ‘Pro’ model of the iPhone 17 and the recently launched iPhone 18 in India is still strong, another official said.

The person said that the company keeps changing production according to demand… Even last year, production of the iPhone Air was reduced. He further said that production can be increased if required, as it is all part of production and capacity is utilized accordingly. However, there is no official statement from Apple on this matter yet. An ET report had earlier said that Apple is planning to increase its capacity for ‘Pro’ models to meet global demand, under which the number of assembly lines could be increased to around a dozen.

Indian consumers prefer to buy old iPhones

This reduction in production can be considered ‘unprecedented’, as the company is changing its launch cycle. Last month, the company launched a ‘Pro’ model of the iPhone 18 and a new foldable ‘Duo’, but no ‘consumer model’. Due to this, iPhone 17 has become the newest standard model available in the market. About 85 percent of iPhones sold in India are similar ‘consumer models’. Generally, Indian consumers prefer to buy older iPhones after the launch of new models, as the prices of older devices drop after that. But this year, amid rising costs of memory and components and a weakening rupee, Apple has hiked prices of its existing iPhone models in India by 20-29 percent.

Consumers are postponing purchases

Now the standard iPhone 17 (256GB variant) has been priced at Rs 99,900, which is 20.5% more than its launch price of Rs 82,900. Industry experts say this has made the model no longer attractive to price-conscious consumers. He also said that the attractive offers being offered in the current festive season have not received much response from consumers. Retailers said in an ET report that some customers are postponing their purchases thinking that the iPhone 18 will be launched in February, which will be priced around the iPhone 17. Meanwhile, many consumers are switching to the ‘Pro’ model of the iPhone 17 during the festive sales. For this they are spending 15,000 to 25,000 rupees more than the base model.

The share of Pro models may increase

Given the massive demand for the iPhone 18 Pro, experts estimate that the ‘Pro’ model’s share of total iPhone sales could increase from the current 15 percent to 20 percent in the coming months. Due to high prices, consumers are also turning to refurbished and older models, such as the iPhone 16. An industry official said that although the share of regular (consumer) models is higher than that of ‘Pro’ models across the world, the difference is much greater in India. He further said that however, now in India too, people are moving towards the ‘Pro’ model, due to which the difference between the regular and the ‘Pro’ model will reduce.