Availability of the iPhone 14 Pro has improved significantly, easing Christmas demand, and production at the world’s largest assembly plant has reportedly reached about 70% of full capacity.
Some models are available for immediate pick-up now at select Apple stores, while most other orders from the company’s US online store ship in a week or two.
Background
iPhone 14 Pro production has been hit hard by the outbreak of COVID-19 at the world’s largest iPhone assembly factory in Zhengzhou, China. It is estimated to produce about 80% of the volume.
Workers complained of shortages of food and medicine during the outbreak, and significant numbers chose to leave the factories and return to their hometowns.
Subsequent bonus offers had limited effect and failure to pay led to violent protests. Attempts to appease workers with compensation have resulted in more than 20,000 workers leaving their jobs.
Zhengzhou’s lockdown itself ended a month ago, but Foxconn’s factory is classified as “high-risk” and has closed-loop production, with workers staying on campus 24/7 for up to a month. Most of the COVID-19 restrictions at the factory have since been lifted, partly by discouraging sick workers from being tested. I had a claim.
Increased availability of iPhone 14 Pro
Already in mid-November, Apple was unable to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas. Some estimates place him at over 20 million units in lost production. Whatever the actual number, things are bad and Apple has issued a rare stock warning.
However, now that the surge in demand for Christmas gifts has calmed down and production is gradually recovering in China, WSJMore JP Morgan points out that iPhone 14 Pro availability is back to almost normal levels.
JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee wrote in an investor note about the iPhone 14 Pro this week that “supply is improving and is slowly inching towards parity with demand.”
According to JP Morgan, the wait time for U.S. consumers to order the latest iPhone Pro models, which was previously extended to 40 days, has improved.
In the US and China, Apple’s website says the wait time for Pro models is about 1-2 weeks. Select Pro models and colors are available for immediate pickup at select Apple stores in both countries.
According to the same report, production at iPhone City is now running at about 70% of capacity, a dramatic improvement from last month.
Market intelligence firm TrendForce says it’s too early to celebrate. Apple previously predicted that he would ship 56 million iPhones (across all models) in the first quarter of 2023, but has now lowered that to 47 million, the same quarter this year. has decreased by more than 20% from
Foxconn is reportedly trying to convince employees to stay until March and offer bonuses worth $700, close to about a month’s salary.
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