Apple suppliers in China are behind schedule on development for one of the iPhone 14 series models, according to the latest Nikkei Asia report, due to continued COVID lockdowns across the country. Apple has encouraged suppliers to speed up component development in order to keep on track with manufacturing timelines, according to unidentified sources close to the situation.
The three main suppliers for the future iPhone models are Foxconn, Pegatron, and Luxshare Precision Industry, with the latter two companies suffering from the tardy re-opening of plants in Shanghai. Apple could lose up to $8 billion in income as a result of the Chinese lockdowns and halted manufacturing of next iPhone models, according to estimates.
All new iPhones should complete the engineering verification test (EVT) phase by June, according to previous iPhone development timelines, but the current source reveals that Apple least one of the 14 series models is three weeks behind schedule. Apple hopes to get its mass-production line for the iPhone 14 series up and running by September, but it's unclear whether that will happen this year.
