IPhone 14 Could Be in Short Supply upon Launch
According to rumours from the previous year, several iPhone 14 models may be in low supply when the new smartphones go on sale in a matter of weeks.
Earlier this year, Nikkei Asia reported that the effect of lockdowns on Apple’s supply lines in China had caused at least one iPhone 14 model to be three weeks behind schedule. Jeff Pu, an analyst at Haitong International Securities, revealed that the model in issue was the impending iPhone 14 Max, which is anticipated to provide Apple’s non-Pro line of smartphones a bigger, 6.7-inch display size.
The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max are said to already be in major production, but the iPhone 14 Max is not anticipated to go into full production until late August, only weeks before the next iPhone range is revealed at a September Apple event.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo asserts that Apple hasn’t altered the shipment schedule for the iPhone 14 models despite lockdowns in China. He reaffirmed that the iPhone 14 Max is certainly running behind schedule, but that things are supposedly under control and suppliers are able to put in extra time to make up lost ground. Aware that China’s lockdowns would cause a shortage or delays later in the year, Apple instructed Foxconn to begin hiring employees to build iPhone 14 models sooner than normal.
A component shortfall is also affecting the iPhone 14 range, but Kuo thinks it won’t have much of an effect on the models’ mass production since other vendors can assist with the supply chain. For instance, according to Kuo, Samsung Display and BOE can substantially close the supply gap initially created by LG Display’s problems with the debut of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max display panels.
The supply chain for Apple’s semiconductor production “remains barely disrupted,” according to DigiTimes, but other areas may be badly damaged, which might cause delays with various iPhone 14 models.
On September 7, which Apple subsequently confirmed, an event with the theme “Far out” is scheduled to introduce the iPhone 14 range. Although some experts are optimistic about how lockdowns and shortages would affect the availability of the iPhone 14 series, only time will tell whether particular models will be hard to find or have delays when they go on sale.
