While Apple cuts production of the 5G iPhone 12 mini, its Pro line takes business away from Huawei

A pair of reports from Digitimes reveals that consumers are favoring the Apple iPhone 12 Pro series over the iPhone 12 mini. Perhaps we should start with the news that weaker than expected sales of the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini in two important markets (the U.S. and Europe) is being cited as the reason why Apple has decided to cut production of the model. "Industry sources" blame the global pandemic for weakness in the demand for this phone which is priced at $699 and up.

The second report is credited to some "market observers" who say that Apple's top contract manufacturer, Foxconn, has received additional orders to assemble the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Pegatron is in Apple's doghouse and is under probation after the Taiwan based assembler misclassified the personal information belonging to some student workers. With the wrong information in Pegatron's files, these workers were able to work nights and overtime in violation of Apple's Supplier Code of Conduct.

Apple has been closing more Apple Stores in the U.S. as the coronavirus spread has spiked in several states. As a result, Apple was forced to temporarily close retail locations in North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. At the same time, all 53 units in California have also been shut down. If you're planning to visit your local Apple Store, call first to make sure that it is open for business. You can also click on this link to get this information online. Of course, consumers have other options if they want to purchase an iPhone. Apple has its online store at Apple.com, and major retailers like Best Buy, B&H and others also will accept your order online. Additionally, all major U.S. carriers will be happy to sell you an iPhone 12 handset via their own websites.

Late last month, analysts forecast that Apple will ship 51 million iPhone units during the calendar first quarter. This is an 8.5% hike from the original estimates that called for Apple to deliver 47 million iPhone handsets during the current quarter.

The iPhone 12 Pro line has been so popular that Digitimes says that for the first time in years, Apple's iPhone is taking business away from Huawei in China. Apple is now the second largest 5G phone manufacturer in the country trailing only Huawei.

Apple released four different models of its first 5G phones this year. Besides the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, there is the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.  All four models use the powerful and energy-efficient A14 Bionic chipset manufactured by TSMC using its 5nm node. All four models also support sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G networks.