According to the report, the Cupertino-based company has instructed suppliers to speed up production of new iPhone models to catch up. Some regions of Shanghai were put on lockdown at the end of March, and while restrictions have begun to ease now, disruptions to the supply chain continue.
It was reported last week that the ongoing Covid-19-related lockdown in China is expected to have a significant impact on Apple’s April-June quarter, with the company forecasting an $8 billion loss in sales, mainly due to lockdown in Shanghai.
This year, Apple is preparing to release four new iPhone models – iPhone 14, 14 Pro, 14 Max and 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 and 14 Pro models will feature 6.1-inch screens, while the Max and Pro Max models will feature 6.7-inch screens.
All four models are currently in the Technical Verification Test (EVT) stage. At this stage, suppliers finalize all parts and processes before starting mass production, as well as calculate production costs. Due to the Shanghai lockdown, one of the models is reportedly behind schedule by about three weeks. Analyst Jeff Pu claims that the delayed model is the long-rumored iPhone 14 Max.
This is not the first time Apple has faced this issue. The same thing happened during the production of the iPhone 12 in 2020. Due to Covid-19, the tech giant had to release the iPhone 12 in October, a month later than its expected launch date.