Labor Shortages May Have Contributed to Slow Apple Watch Launch

Labor shortages at Quanta Computer slowed the launch of the Apple Watch, according to DigiTimes.

Quanta Vice Chairman CC Leung reportedly comment on rumors that the Apple Watch had a poor yield rate and that Apple was considering the use of other manufacturers to assist in assembly of the smartwatch.

Leung said that the client's wearable device is no longer a challenge in terms of both technology and quality.


Because of labor shortages during the Lunar New Year holidays, Quanta was forced to borrow manpower from other manufacturers and was only able to deliver limited shipments in the first quarter. However, Quanta already has sufficient capacity to manufacture all the orders and should see a giant contribution from its wearable device business in the second quarter.

Notably, Leung refused to identify the name of the client or its product.

Leung noted that the wearable device is unlike the smartwatches it produced before and has a lot of functions in it and its client is satisfied with the product.

A recent report from the WSJ indicated that an issue with the taptic engine was to blame for the botched launch; however, it appears they may have been more issues at play.


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