Validation testing for at least one iPhone 14 model is running three weeks behind schedule as China-based foundries face lockdowns, according to a new report today, which could affect first production batches in a worst-case scenario, according to a new report today. quantity.
Despite the easing of restrictions, the lockdown in Shanghai and surrounding areas that began in late March is said to have had a lingering impact on Apple’s supply chain, sources told Nikkei Asia.
“It’s challenging to make up for lost time… Apple and its suppliers are working around the clock to accelerate progress,” said an executive at an Apple supplier, adding that the Shanghai factory was recovering at a pace “Pretty slow.”
Apple has reportedly asked suppliers to expedite product development efforts to make up for a lost time before delays affect typical manufacturing schedules. Apple is expected to launch four new iPhone models this year. After seeing lackluster sales of the iPhone 13 mini, Apple is offering bigger screens for its 2022 flagship devices: the 6.1-inch iPhone 14, the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max.
It is unclear which model was directly affected by the delay caused by the lockdown. Currently, all four iPhone 14 models are in the development stage of the Engineering Validation Test (EVT), according to Nikkei’s sources. Typically, all new iPhone models complete EVT and enter the verification phase by the end of June.
Following the development phase of the new iPhone, Apple’s main assemblers Foxconn and Pegatron will enter a phase known as the New Product Introduction (NPI), during which the manufacturing process will be outlined for the latest design. NPI is followed by several validation processes, usually starting around the end of August, and then moving into mass production.
“If the development process can be accelerated and move to the next stage around the end of June or early July, it should still be possible to meet the mass production deadline in early September,” said another person familiar with the matter. “But it really depends on whether the process can be accelerated very quickly.”
It is said that as restrictions on living and travel in the Shanghai area remain in place, production continues to be affected and the operation of the entire supply chain has not yet fully returned to normal.
Qiu Shifang, a senior supply chain analyst, told the Nikkei that the situation could affect not only production but also the development of new products. “It will take at least one to two months to restore the supply chain.”