At Least One iPhone 14 Model is Behind Schedule [Report]

At least one of Apple's new iPhone 14 models is behind schedule due to COVID lockdowns in China, according to a new report from Nikkei.

Currently, the four new phones are in the engineering verification test, or EVT, stage of development, sources briefed on the matter said. In this stage, suppliers design the mechanical parts and manufacturing flow for the new iPhones and draw up bills of materials (BOM) to calculate the manufacturing costs. However, one of the models is about three weeks behind the usual schedule due to the lockdowns in Shanghai. China's largest city on May 17 finally announced it had reached "zero COVID" status. It took Shanghai six weeks to get there.

Apple is asking suppliers to speed up development efforts in order to get back on schedule; however, initial production volumes of the new smartphones could be affected.


"It is challenging to make up for the lost time. ... Apple and its suppliers are working around the clock to speed up development," said an executive with an Apple supplier.

Apple is rumored to be preparing four new iPhone models for release this fall, including an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The company will likely discontinue the iPhone mini. You can check out Apple's expected roadmap through 2026 here.

Notably, a recent report claimed that Apple was asking Foxconn to start building up stock of the iPhone 14 two months earlier than normal. This would improve availability when the new models launch or serve as a cushion to future lockdown measures.

More details in the full report linked below...


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