Apple could stop selling millions of devices during December due to problems at its factories in China that have reduced the number of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembled
Apple is facing problems in being able to keep the production of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max in line with demand , so it is very likely that users who want to buy one of these devices will face problems in December.
According to official figures, Apple has shipped 20% less equipment than expected , which translates into less supply capacity at one of the times of the year with the highest demand.
The reason for this drop in production is due to the labor protests that have taken place in recent weeks in some of its most important factories in China, where the equipment is assembled. Analysts such as Ming-Chi Kuo estimate that this could generate a gap between production and demand of approximately 20 million pieces of equipment , a figure that represents three times the company’s expectations.
Added to all this is the detection of new outbreaks in China , which has made it even more difficult for factories to work at full capacity.
The lack of equipment was something that Apple had already anticipated , although not at these levels, so they had warned users that it was possible that the waiting times for the arrival of the new equipment could suffer certain delays.
Proof of this is that the Apple website highlights that the delivery of orders placed today could take until the end of December , and could even be extended until the first days of January.
The smaller amount of equipment available will not only have an impact on end consumers, but also on Apple’s sales. Kuo estimates that in this last quarter the manufacturer could generate between 20% and 30% less revenue from sales of the latest model of the iPhone than previously expected. In practice this represents tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
Something that makes the outlook even more difficult for Apple is that some experts believe that there is a possibility that a large part of the units that the company cannot sell during this last month of the year will not be able to recover them by the first quarter of 2023 . The reason for this is that they believe that many users will prefer to save money out of fear that a recession could occur, as has been reported for months.