iPhone production reportedly suffered due to the COVID-19 outbreak and is not expected to fully recover until the second quarter of 2020.
Ming-Chi Kuo, the Apple analyst, released a statement saying that the iPhone production will continue to suffer due to the Corona Virus Disease, COVID-19 outbreak. In the said statement, the analyst clarified that Apple will have to wait until the second quarter of 2020 to get back in track.
iPhone production had the taste of the COVID-19 impact after the consecutive delays in its operation in China. The vast spread of the coronavirus in the said country resulted in the closing of many factories that created a domino effect on the nation's industry.
Apple's iPhone production is one of those who received the blow of the industrial decline as among those strongly affected by the COVID-19 are major Apple suppliers playing a big role in the tech giant's flagship phone releases.
Genius Electronic Optical, the iPhone camera lens supplier, felt the COVID-19 impact, failing to produce the shipments expected. Reports claimed that behind the said failure is the significantly diminishing lens supply.
Kuo, however, predicted that the lens inventory has not completely gone out as of the moment. The analyst stated that there could be a remaining lens inventory of about a month aiming to have the said supply enough for the Cupertino giant's goal to resume its production by May.
Another of Apple's suppliers badly affected by the COVID-19 is Pegatron. Its Kunshan factory had to close and only resumed work on the new low cost iPhones a few days ago.
Pegatron's Shanghai factory halted operation early this year and went back to operation on February 3. Pegatron Shanghai is where the iPhone 11 and the upcoming iPhone 12 production is executed.
Foxconn, on the other hand, also experienced significant delays in its various locations. Its Zhengzhou site, home of the most critical iPhone 11 and low-cost iPhone productions, had multiple delays in the resumption of its production.
Foxconn's Shenzhen location, the home for the 2020 iPhones, resorted to adding to letting their employees work during the Lunar New Year holiday to fill in the gap of production days. As another solution to the production delays, production equipment was also moved to India and Taiyuan sites amidst the two locations' limited production capacity.
Kuo, however, assured that in spite of the COVID-19 impact on iPhone production, the outbreak will not in any way affect the iPhone 12 release by Q4, 2020.
