Apple’s supply chain has been severely disrupted, and worse of all, it has affected iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments, which were in high demand. One analyst predicts that if things go the way they are right now, shipments of these two models could drop by up to 20 million units in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Two Apple Suppliers Have Picked Up Several iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max Orders, but Even That Will Not Be Sufficient to Completely Offset the Original Shipments Figure for This Year
A new update from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo provides the aforementioned data, claiming Apple may ship between 15-20 million units less in Q4. Recently, the technology giant announced that its assembling plant in Zhengzhou would observe a temporary halt in production due to rising COVID-19 cases in the region. Due to this setback, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments would see a reduction, and this incident could not have happened at a worse time for Apple because it is the holiday season.
Additionally, the ongoing labor protests have not quelled the situation, with Kuo stating that overall, 70-75 million units are expected to be shipped in Q4 2022. Earlier, it was expected that Apple would ship around 80-85 million units in the same period. To help improve the supply chain, Apple’s partners, Pegatron and Luxshare, have started picking a measly 10 percent of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max orders from Foxconn. Unfortunately, shipments are not expected until late December.
The total iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max shipments in 4Q22 will be 15–20 million units less than expected. Significant downside risks to Apple & iPhone supply chain due to Zhengzhou iPhone plant labor protestshttps://t.co/tUkKE9TGVG
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) November 29, 2022
As a result, revenue from iPhone sales could be reduced significantly, with Kuo estimating that Apple could earn 20-30 percent less with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments drop. As if things were not bad enough, the California-based giant earlier ordered its supply chain to reduce iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus due to the lack of demand and the models that are actually popular cannot be produced fast enough.
To reduce supply chain risks, Apple is in the process of setting up assembling plants in Vietnam while increasing iPhone production in India with the help of Foxconn. However, it could take a few years before the output of these two locations matches that of the facility present in Zhengzhou.
News Source: Ming-Chi Kuo
