Apple said it has reduced production of the iPhone 14 due to Covid-19 restrictions at its main iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly plant in Zhengzhou, China. The news warns shoppers that fewer products will be shipped and that shoppers may wait longer.
“The plant, which is run by Foxconn, is operating at a significantly reduced capacity,” Apple said.
Apple’s warning raises the possibility that it may sell fewer iPhones in the December quarter as it is having trouble making products to meet demand. It previously hinted at slowing growth in the December quarter of last month. The company sees an increase in demand for the latest iPhone products with higher prices starting from 999 and 1,099 US dollars.
In the past week, China has ordered a lockdown in Zhengzhou, where Apple does most of its iPhone production. Factories in China have been grappling with employees who fled facilities due to policies and the Covid-19 outbreak.
China continues to pursue a zero-Covid policy that requires facilities such as the iPhone facility in Zhengzhou to operate as ‘closed loops’ where workers isolate in dormitories and work in factories separate from the outside world.
JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee said in a note on Sunday that it currently takes 31 days to receive the iPhone 14 Pro if ordered from Apple’s website, longer than the two-day average waiting time for the cheaper iPhone models.
