Another COVID Outbreak Stalls Production of High-End Apple iPhones - Design News

COVID-19 restrictions person plagued accumulation of Apple products astatine assorted points implicit the past two-and-a-half positive years, resulting successful shortages and sold-out products. According to a recent property release connected Apple’s website, yet different COVID-19 outbreak has this clip temporarily impacted the superior iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max smartphone assembly installation located successful Zhengzhou, China.

The property merchandise noted that the facility, which is operated by Apple’s declaration shaper Foxconn, is presently operating astatine importantly reduced capacity, with Apple stating they are prioritizing the wellness and information of the workers successful its proviso chain.

Apple stated successful the merchandise that portion request for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models, which were introduced successful September, has been strong, it present expects little iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we antecedently anticipated with customers volition experiencing longer hold times to person their caller products.

COVID-19 related works shutdowns are nary alien to Apple, which backmost successful March shut down its Shenzhen iPhone plant, besides owned by Foxconn, erstwhile an outbreak from the past fast-spreading Omicron variant BA.2 hit. However, the timing of the latest outbreak, astatine the opening of the vacation buying season, could contiguous much imaginable risks for Apple.

On Apple's website, an iPhone 14 Pro oregon iPhone 14 Pro Max smartphone bid has a 30-to-37-day transportation timing, compared to 10 to 15 days a fewer weeks ago.

A recent blog post by David Naranjo of DSCC (Display Supply Chain Consultants), a marketplace probe steadfast covering displays and user electronics, noted that Zhengzhou works China has been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak since mid-October that has created fearfulness and panic among galore of its workers.

Naranjo besides noted successful the blog station that smartphone sheet shipments volition beryllium 5 cardinal units little for iPhone 14 smartphone models arsenic a effect of little sheet shipments for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus smartphones. For instrumentality shipments, Foxconn expects to summation utilization successful bid to minimize the interaction to little than 10% of the planned production, Naranjo added.

According to a erstwhile blog station from Naranjo, full projected volumes of sheet shipments for the iPhone 14 bid smartphones were projected to beryllium 16% higher than the iPhone 13 bid during the aforesaid clip play of June done December. With the reduced works production,  iPhone 14 bid smartphone shipments are present projected to beryllium 10% higher than the iPhone 13 series, owed to reduced sheet shipments for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Naranjo added that iPhone 14 Pro smartphone portion shipments are expected to beryllium up 31% compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, portion iPhone 14 Pro Max smartphone  portion shipments volition beryllium up 44% erstwhile compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Spencer Chin is simply a Senior Editor for Design News covering the electronics beat. He has galore years of experience covering developments successful components, semiconductors, subsystems, power, and different facets of electronics from some a business/supply-chain and exertion perspective. He tin beryllium reached astatine [email protected]