iPhone 14 launch may be delayed, China lockdowns affecting production

While China has started to ease the lockdown restrictions, the Nikkei Asia report claims that Apple could still struggle to make up for the time that is already lost. In a worst-possible case, Apple is looking at a loss of 6-10 million units in the run-up to the iPhone 14 launch date.

Apple iPhone 14 launch delayed

Nikkei Asia reports that at least one of the flagship models in the iPhone 14 series has fallen behind the schedule due to disruptions stemming from China’s month-long lockdowns. Apparently, Apple has already directed suppliers to speed up product development.

The delays are specific to the engineering verification test when suppliers finalise the parts and processes needed to start production, the report suggests. The schedule for Apple’s usual late-September launch requires all new models to complete the engineering verification test stage by June end. However, one model- the iPhone 14 Max is three weeks behind the schedule. 

Analysts opine that they are also not optimistic about Apple’s suppliers making up for the lost time. They say the restrictions still in place could take a month or two to return to normalcy, assuming there won’t be any further lockdowns.

There are chances that Apple might not change the launch September timeline due to any delay in the availability of a single model. It would simply push the launch date to a later date as it did in the past with the iPhone X and XR.