Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Macworld reports that the iPhone 16e stock shortage suggests that Apple may launch the iPhone 17e as early as next week.
- The expected iPhone 17e is expected to feature MagSafe, which addresses a key criticism of previous models.
- Apple is also planning an iPad Air 2026 with an M4 processor and N1 wireless chip along with the new iPhone.
It’s an open secret that Apple is on the verge of launching the iPhone 17e. One theory is that it will be released as early as next week on the first anniversary of its predecessor’s launch. And based on new information about the state of Apple’s stock, that sounds about right.
According to a Twitter/X post by generally reliable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, citing testimony from unnamed Apple retail employees, iPhone 16e inventory has “basically dried up.” Out of stock is usually a sign that the product will soon be discontinued, most likely replaced by something new. Apple is well-known for its supply chain efficiency and typically stops production at the end of a product’s life to avoid sitting on old inventory after it is retired.
I checked online (using the UK Apple Store as I’m based in London) and was able to buy the 16e in white with 128GB storage for delivery or collection tomorrow and the black model for delivery tomorrow or collection today. In fact, I have not found a single configuration that arrived later than a day after purchase. I also took a quick look at the US store, using the White House zip code to estimate delivery, and the only models I had any issues with were the 512GB units in both black and white, neither of which are currently available for pickup at the president’s local store. But they could still be delivered to the Oval Office by tomorrow.
David Price / Foundry
So there are iPhone 16e units. But it’s possible that what little Apple has left has largely been allocated to online purchases, as it would prefer employees to entertain store-goers with more expensive products like the iPhone 17.
The iPhone 17e could be one of the most important products that Apple will release in 2026, as the e-class iPhones are the only ones that even remotely come close to the budget market. The iPhone 16e was criticized for being significantly more expensive than the final iPhone SE, while still featuring numerous compromises in areas such as the lack of MagSafe and a second camera. The iPhone 17e probably won’t cost less than the 16e, but it should at least offer MagSafe.
Gurman adds that the iPad Air is also experiencing inventory shortages, though this means they are not as severe as those affecting the iPhone 16e. The iPad Air 2026 is also expected to arrive soon, featuring an M4 processor, an N1 wireless chip, and likely very few other changes.