Apple to Add New Assembly Partners to Bolster Production of iOS Devices

Apple is set to add new manufacturing partners in Asia to handle production of its current line of iOS devices, reports The Wall Street Journal.

new_suppliers_iosdevices
The company will contract with Wistron to produce the cheaper iPhone 5c and Compal Communications to assemble the iPad mini, though the report does not say whether the latter will assemble the iPad mini or Retina iPad mini. Apple is reportedly expanding its supplier list as its primary supplier, Foxconn, is focused on producing the iPhone 5s.

Furthermore, Apple is reportedly said to be unhappy with the labor issues that have surrounded Foxconn over the past few years, along with the repair costs said to have come with the high return rate of defective iPhones:

Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, has also been under scrutiny for its labor practices, creating a headache for Apple, they said. According to J.P. Morgan analyst Alvin Kwock, the high return rate of defective iPhone 5 smartphones also led to tensions between Apple and Hon Hai over which company would be responsible for repair-work costs.

Last month, Apple notified Pegatron and Foxconn that it would be reducing orders of the iPhone 5c, with another report stating that iPhone 5s production was to be boosted by 75 percent to meet demand. The iPhone 5s remains in very short supply, with carriers such as Verizon and T-Mobile indicating that they could have sold even more units of the device had supplies been readily available. The iPhone 5c, in contrast, has seen good supplies throughout Apple's distribution channels, allowing the company to meet demand.

"Apple has raised this quarter's iPhone 5S orders from Hon Hai as demand has been stronger than expected. But it takes time to boost production capacity and Apple can't find other assemblers to increase production to meet demand immediately," said the Hon Hai executive.

Meanwhile, Apple's upcoming iPad mini with Retina display is said to be in very short supply, with Apple CEO Tim Cook stating last week during the company's fourth quarter earnings call that it was "unclear whether we will have enough for the quarter or not" and a report last week stating that the company is turning to Samsung as low display yields for the Retina iPad mini continue. Currently, it is not known when specifically the second-generation iPad mini will be released, as Apple has only stated that the tablet will be out by the end of November.

Related Roundup: iPad mini
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Buy Now)
Related Forums: iPad, iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
iphone air concept weis

iPhone 17 Air Could Look Like This in Real Life

Friday February 14, 2025 3:41 am PST by
There have been several alleged leaked details of the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's rumored new slim iPhone, but images have been limited to grainy shots taken in component factories. However, this hyper-realistic concept created by WEIS Studio gives us the best idea yet of what Apple's thin device might actually look like. The concept design is inspired by recent leaks indicating that the device...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...

Top Rated Comments

swarmster Avatar
147 months ago
shortages should be a thing of the past, now when it occurs it's usually to generate hype

Not blaming you, but that kind of sounds like something the internet made up to hate on popular products.

The advertising industry in the US alone is in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Marketing creators are paid untold billions more. All that expenditure and work to get you to take the time out of your life to approach the company at retail and give them your money.

The thought that a company would take a hard-fought win in that realm, invite a customer into their store cash in hand, and intentionally turn them away and call it 'good business' is nonsensical.

Sometimes companies screw up projections. It's true! Telling the future is difficult. Sometimes they just don't have the money to bet big. In other cases, companies like Apple are producing new things in ways that no one has ever attempted in mass production using reserved capacity in as many advanced factories as are available to them. It's still hard to make 10 million phones in a weekend. Sorry.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
147 months ago
shortages should be a thing of the past, now when it occurs it's usually to generate hype

Apple needs to generate hype? Hardly. Apple wants to sell products. Kind of hard to do if the product isn't available. :rolleyes:
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Taz Mangus Avatar
147 months ago
Most of the Apple shortages are intentional. Because when a product is not available, it is more present in the media, and more hype is created...etc....

And the fairy tale lives on.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DynaFXD Avatar
147 months ago
With the holidays coming up I'm sure Apple wants to put retina minis under as many Christmas trees as possible.

+1 This "intentional shortage" trope gets trotted out during every release. The hype is generated at the product announcement. Once release day comes around it is produce..produce..produce as fast as the wheels will turn. There is just no reason for Apple to play any sort of games to get publicity. Heck, go look at their stores. They are packed even when there isn't a new product. They've got the audience. The point is to get products in their hands ASAP and then start making money off the iTunes and App store as well.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iPhD Avatar
147 months ago
Why is it always referred to as the "cheaper iPhone 5c"? I didn't think the word cheaper was part of its official name. To be consistent, why not also refer to the other iPhone as the "more ostentatious iPhone 5s dipped in gold"?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleScruff1 Avatar
147 months ago

Samsung sold 20 million S4's over the first 100 days, and almost 40 million, not 80 million, by the end of six months. Not exactly a major accomplishment. S4 sales have tapered off so much that so e major carriers around the world have dropped it.

Not exactly a major disappointment either.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)