Problems at Foxconn’s factory in Zhengzhou, China, are taking their toll on the manufacturing of iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. A big headache for Apple, considering that they are the most in demand of their new generation of mobiles. And the expectations for the end of the year are not good, since the incidents would make those from Cupertino lose 6 million units of the aforementioned models.
As reported Bloomberg, this figure represents the most recent estimate of the production shortfall that Apple faces due to the situation at Foxconn. However, the report mentions that the landscape remains “fluid”, so the number could vary from one moment to the next. It is even feared that the assembly of mobiles it may take even longerif the restrictions due to the outbreaks of COVID-19 in Chinese territory are maintained.
The news is expected to impact delivery times for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which are already under a lot of pressure. These days, both in the United States and in Spain and other parts of the world, Apple shows an average delay of 4 weeks for those who wish to purchase any of the two models in their online store. This means that customers who are placing new orders today probably won’t receive their phones before Christmas.
Foxconn’s facilities in Zhengzhou have been in the news in recent weeks due to the mass resignations of workers, who denounced the poor living conditions and unfulfilled promises of pay, amid the outbreaks of coronavirus that stalk the region. Last week, 20,000 workers —most of them newly hired— decided to leave the factory, amid violent clashes with security personnel.
The production of the iPhone 14 Pro receives a blow
The deficit of 6 million units of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max that Apple faces before the end of the year is the least desired news for Tim Cook and company. At the beginning of November, those of Cupertino had already lowered production expectations for all their smartphone models to 87 million units, against the original 90 million. But they would have reduced their projections again after the events of the last few weeks in China.
After all, when the mass resignations of the last few days became known, it was said that Foxconn would lose more than 30% of the production of iPhones in November. Although it was not known specifically how affected the Pro models of its most recent lineup would be.
From the Taiwanese firm they indicated to Bloomberg that they hope to recover the 6 million iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max in 2023. In any case, to achieve this they will have to recover the planned production capacity. Something fundamental, considering that the Zhengzhou plant is, for now, the only one that manufactures the most premium from Apple.
These facilities today employ some 200,000 people and are informally known as iPhone City (iPhone City), due to the interference that apple mobiles have in the production line.
The effects of the most recent incidents at Foxconn once again put the magnifying glass on Apple’s Chinese dependence. Something that not only affects the iPhone 14 Pro, but all its devices. However, in the case of their smartphones it is even more serious than in other devices. And moving their production out of China today is simply impossible, since it is estimated that Cupertino would need at least 8 years to take 10% of production to other countries.