Apple warns of poorly available iPhone 14 Pro models and long lead times
Unexpected news from Apple about the iPhone 14 Pro devices. They have in fact revealed in a (rather extraordinary) press release that it is going to be more difficult to obtain the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max in the near future. This is because the Foxconn factory where the devices are manufactured is facing a major COVID-19 lockdown. Read more about this particular update below.
COVID-19 lockdown
The coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou is causing a major lockdown. Measures by the Chinese government are severe and intense, causing the factory to run at reduced capacity, Apple itself says. This is putting extreme pressure on global deliveries and causing those delivery times to lengthen considerably. With China's strict COVID policy, if a single person tests positive, an entire city can go on lockdown. This creates a lot of uncertainty for large companies such as Apple.
Uncertainty about delivery times for Europe
Currently, delivery times for several iPhone models in the Benelux are about a month. However, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are available for immediate delivery. It is quite rare that Apple communicates so openly about delays, they normally never do. The company further announces that their top priority is the health of employees. Because of the strict COVID measures in China, Apple has already moved some production to Vietnam, where they are slightly less strict.
Expected drop
According to Apple, demand for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is currently very high. The fact that the company can currently sell fewer of them because of the above is bound to affect its upcoming operating results. This could result in the first decline since Apple announced the iPhone in 2007. In any case, we are very curious to see what this will mean for the company and iPhone production in the future.