Widespread Power Outages in China Have Apple Suppliers 'Scrambling' to Keep Production on Track

Apple suppliers in China are scrambling to keep production on track ahead of the busy holiday season in the face of widespread power outages in the country, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia.

chinafoxconn

Widespread power outages in China are reigniting a push by tech manufacturers to shift production away from Asia's biggest economy, with suppliers to Apple, Amazon and others scrambling to keep production on track ahead of the busy holiday season.

At a midsize electronics accessories maker in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, power outages have become the new normal.

One source who spoke to Nikkei said power outages had been sporadic since mid-September, but that now they get notice every week telling them which days the following week that power will be cut. Apple suppliers have reportedly already warned that power cuts threaten supply chain continuity, but concerns have grown that the disruption will last until the end of the year or longer.

Suppliers are also reporting a lack of clarity over who will receive power and who won't from one week to the next.

"It is very chaotic and confusing. Some suppliers managed to secure power supplies based on their friendly relations and negotiations with the local governments, while some were affected badly," an executive at an Apple supplier told Nikkei Asia.

Many large Chinese tech suppliers, such as emerging iPhone assembler Luxshare and its subsidiaries across different provinces, were also spared from the power suspension, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Another unnamed Apple supplier said that local governments are deciding who to give electricity to based in part on the value of the products being made.

Apple is looking to boost initial production of this year's ‌iPhone 13‌ models to 90 million units through the end of the year, an increase of up to 20% over the 75 million units of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 series produced last year, according to Bloomberg. There are also reports that initial stocks of Apple Watch Series 7 will be limited, but we won't know for sure until Apple opens pre-orders later today.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Announces 13 Automakers Planning to Offer iPhone Car Keys

Friday June 27, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple said that 13...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
anker power bank recall

PSA: Anker Recalls Multiple Power Banks Due to Fire Risk

Friday June 27, 2025 4:16 pm PDT by
Popular accessory maker Anker this month launched two separate recalls for its power banks, some of which may be a fire risk. The first recall affects Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Banks sold between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 in the United States. Anker says that these power banks have a "potential issue" with the battery inside, which can lead to overheating, melting of plastic...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services. Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year. If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

Corsig Avatar
49 months ago
When are we going to stop relying on China for everything
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Obioban Avatar
49 months ago

What is causing the outages? Lack of fuel? lack of power plants? infrastructure issues?
China got mad at Australia for requesting an investigation into the origins of of Covid and cut off their coal exports as punishment. Australian coal burns more efficiently than much of the rest of the worlds, and Chinese coal plants have been tailored to it-- they can't turn a profit without it. The CCP has a price cap on what power plants can charge for power, so they can't increase prices-- so if they produce power with less efficient coal, they lose money. So, instead they have turned off the power plants.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Quu Avatar
49 months ago
What is causing the outages? Lack of fuel? lack of power plants? infrastructure issues?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haunebu Avatar
49 months ago
Stop making everything in China, Apple.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
49 months ago
It’s President Xi’s millennium plan.?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0924487 Avatar
49 months ago

Probably not any time soon. It's hard to find a country with an excess supply of cheap labor. China has 1.6 billion people. Pretty hard to find that anywhere else.
It's no longer about cheap labour. China's labour is not cheap anymore. It's because no other country has a complete industrial system like China.

Also, China no longer has 1.4 billion people. The real number is probably closer to 1.2 billion, and continue to shrink due to fertility policies.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)