Affected by the epidemic, the release date of iPhone 14 may be postponed

Affected by the epidemic, the release time of iPhone 14 may be postponed

Affected by the epidemic, the release time of iPhone 14 may be postponed. People familiar with the matter said that due to the epidemic, Apple’s new iPhone 14 series The development plan has been delayed, which may affect the release time of the new machine. Affected by the epidemic, the release date of iPhone 14 may be postponed. Affected by the epidemic, the release date of iPhone 14 may be postponed 1

Nikkei quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that Apple’s new iPhone development plan has been delayed due to the epidemic. Apple has now told its suppliers to speed up the new iPhone development. Apple, Pegatron and Foxconn declined to comment.

Nikkei said Apple’s development of this year’s iPhone is behind schedule this year due to disruptions caused by the month-long COVID-19 lockdown. Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter said that Apple has asked suppliers to speed up product development work to catch up on lost time. In the worst case, this may affect the mass production plan and initial output of the new machine.

Judging from the currently known information, Apple is preparing to launch four new models this year, tentatively designated as iPhone 14, 14 Pro, 14 Max and 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 and Pro models will have 6.1-inch screens, while the Max and Pro Max models will have 6.7-inch screens.

Main iPhone assemblers Foxconn (a subsidiary of Hon Hai) and Pegatron (a subsidiary of Pegatron) are responsible for a process called new product introduction, or NPI. As part of this process, Apple and its suppliers need to develop a timeline and outline the processes required to turn its latest designs into actual products for mass production in preparation. After NPI, starting at the end of August each year, Apple conducts a series of verification processes on a tight schedule to meet the required mass production schedule.

▲ Apple iPhone 14 series concept diagram does not represent the final design

According to Nikkei Asia, although China’s Luxshare Precision Industry is not responsible for the design of the new iPhone NPI, however, has secured some orders and will produce two of the four models this year.

Pegatron’s Shanghai factory was allowed to resume operations on May 16. Its iPhone assembly plants in Shanghai and Kunshan are the center of the company’s Apple-related business.

Sources reported that the four new phones are currently in the engineering verification testing or EVT development stage. During this stage, suppliers design the mechanical parts and manufacturing processes for the new iPhone and develop a bill of materials (BOM) to calculate manufacturing costs. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, at least one of the models is about three weeks later than the usual schedule.

Normally, all new iPhones will complete EVT in these days and enter the verification stage before the end of June, thus preparing everything for mass production by the end of August or the first week of September Prepare.

"If the development progress can be accelerated and the next stage is entered around the end of June or early July, it is still possible to meet the mass production deadline of early September," But it still really depends on whether the process can catch up, another person familiar with the matter said.

Senior supply chain analyst Qiu Shifang said that the operation of China's entire supply chain has not yet fully recovered, which may affect production and may also affect the development of new products. It will take at least one to two months for supply chains to recover.

Affected by the epidemic, the release date of iPhone 14 may be postponed 2

According to the Financial Associated Press, Nikkei quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that due to the epidemic, the development plan of Apple’s new iPhone 14 series has been delayed and may It will affect the release time of new machines. At present, Apple has told its suppliers to speed up the development and mass production of the iPhone 14 series, and there is no guarantee that it can be launched as scheduled in September as usual.

(Picture source: 9to5mac)

Some time ago, news came out that the iPhone 14 series was originally scheduled to be trial-produced in early May due to production capacity issues. It has actually been postponed. The release time of the new phone will be postponed from September to mid-October, and the first batch will be released at the end of October, while the first batch of iPhone 14 Pro/Max is not expected to be released until November.

In fact, some of Apple’s actions also secretly reveal information that the iPhone 14 series may be postponed. Some time ago, Apple increased the production capacity of the iPhone 13 series in the second quarter, increasing production of the two Pro models by 10 million units. The iPhone 13 series is indeed more popular than previous generations, but increasing production in a slow season like the second quarter seems to have never happened before.

(Source: Apple official website)

On the one hand, the second quarter is a transitional stage between old and new phones. Apple will gradually reduce its production capacity. Shift to new machines instead of continuing to increase production capacity on older machines. On the other hand, the overall performance of the global mobile phone market this year is not optimistic. Many manufacturers have seen sharp declines in shipments. Even if the iPhone 13 series is very popular, there should not be such an abnormal operation as a substantial increase in production.

It is believed that Apple’s move is to extend the sales cycle of the iPhone 13 series. According to the situation in previous years, after the iPhone 14 series is launched, Apple will remove the iPhone 13 Pro/Max models from the shelves, while the iPhone 13/mini will reduce the price and continue to sell them. But judging from this year's market feedback, it is obvious that iPhone 13 Pro/Max is more popular, and Apple does not want to discontinue production of these two models so soon.

(Source: Apple’s official website)

In addition, due to the impact of the epidemic, Foxconn’s production and recruitment work have been hampered by many obstacles, which will indeed have a negative impact on the iPhone 14 series. Production capacity will have a certain impact. Even if it is released in September as scheduled, it will be difficult for everyone to buy it immediately. It is still unclear how everyone will accept the hole-punch screen of iPhone 14. Choosing to ensure the production capacity and supply of old machines will help stabilize sales even more. Therefore, Apple may delay the release of new models so that the iPhone 13 series can be sold for a while. Affected by the epidemic, the release date of iPhone 14 may be postponed by 3

According to Apple’s practice in previous years, September is the time when it releases new iPhones. However, people familiar with the matter recently said that due to the supply chain disruption caused by the epidemic Interference, the development of at least one of Apple's new iPhone series this year is already behind schedule.

Development of at least one iPhone series is already behind schedule. Apple has told suppliers to speed up the process. Currently, the iPhone 14 series is still in the engineering verification testing stage.

Foxconn and Pegatron, the two major OEMs for Apple iPhones, need to be responsible for the NPI (New Product Introduction) of the new phones. In the process of carrying out this project, Apple and its supply chain manufacturers need to get a time plan to determine the various tasks in the process from design to manufacturing completion. However, due to the recent impact of the domestic epidemic, the domestic factories and related supply chains of Pegatron and Foxconn have been affected to varying degrees, which has also delayed some development processes.

Some analysts said that if the development progress can be accelerated and the next stage is entered around the end of June or early July, it is still possible to complete it before the mass production deadline in early September. However, considering that the current domestic supply chain production capacity has not been fully restored, even if the development progress reaches the expected level, it may still affect production capacity during the mass production process.

iPhone 14 renderings posted online

According to previous reports, Apple’s latest iPhone 14 series will launch four models, including regular version, Pro version version, Pro Max version and the newly added Max version. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max may still be equipped with the A15 processor, while the higher-positioned Pro version will be equipped with the normal iteration of the A16 processor. There are reports that the new phone is expected to be released on September 13 this year.