Apple is putting pressure on suppliers as lockdown measures in China put the iPhone 14’s release date at risk, Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday.
The engineering verification test (EVT) in which manufacturers finalize all parts and processes before rolling out production is said to be delayed, potentially pushing the typical September release date for the latest-model iPhones back by several weeks.
Apple’s usual schedule has manufacturers completing the EVT by late June, but at least one model is reportedly three weeks behind, meaning it won’t be available at the official product launch date unless the producer can somehow compensate for the delays.
This also assumes no further lockdowns will occur, a possibility analysts say is far from certain. iPhone assembler Pegatron Corp suspended work at its Shanghai and Kunshan plants earlier this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, and Shanghai’s citywide lockdown is in its seventh week.