While the straws have been building on the camel's back of Apple's "no brainer" status over the past few months, today's news from DigiTimes [6]appears to be the most damning yet on the 'peak Apple' phenomenon [7]. Apple share are fading off early market highs as demand for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus appear to have slowed down recently, shipments of iPhone devices from production lines in the fourth quarter of 2015 are likely to be 5-10% lower than originally expected, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

The lowered factory shipments are in line with the latest forecasts of iPhone shipments in the consumer-end market, said the sources, adding that most market research firms have lowered overall iPhone device shipment estimates for the fourth quarter of 2015 to 72-75 million units, compared to 76-78 million units predicted earlier, indicated the sources.

Furthermore, overall iPhone shipments for the first quarter of 2016 have also been lowered to 52-56 million units from the previous estimate of 58-60 million units. The revised figures also represent a decline of 12-15% as compared to a year earlier.

Facing declining demand, some makers in the iPhone supply chain have reduced overtime shifts since November and could move the Lunar New Year holidays ahead of schedule, indicated the sources.

Foxconn Electronics' iPhone manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou, China has been indicated as one of the plants which are likely to shift their Lunar New Year holiday schedule, said the sources.

However, Foxconn said that operations at its Zhengzhou plant remain normal and it will implement the holiday schedule in accordance with related regulations as well as the willingness of its workers.