Apple touted iPhone 5 sales of over 5 million units over the device's launch weekend, but according to new reports, demand for the new iOS smartphone may be weaker than expected as of late. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and Japanese newspaper Nikkei (via Reuters) , Apple has halved its orders for iPhone 5 displays from Japan Display Inc., Sharp Corp and LG Display Co. Ltd. for the current quarter. Nikkei claims that Apple had initially ordered 65 million units for the quarter. One source speaking to the WSJ also says that Apple has cut orders for other iPhone 5 components, but those parts aren't named. Apple is said to have notified its suppliers of the change in its display orders last month.
Apple has yet to respond to these reports, which isn't entirely surprising that they came out late on a Sunday evening. It's entirely possible that the Cupertino firm won't issue a comment at all, but even if it doesn't, this news is unlikely to sit well with the company's investors. The next time that we expect to get an official update on iPhone sales is when Apple announces its fiscal Q1 2013 results on Jan. 23, which will include the holidays and the iPhone 5's first full quarter of availability. If the firm decides to spill some information before then, including any sort of response to these rumors of display order cuts, we'll be sure to update you.
