Apple Reportedly Suspends MacBook Air Supplier Due to 'Quality Issues'
Apple has suspended MacBook bearing supplier Kersen's production for inspection purposes due to "quality issues," and shifted orders to other suppliers through the end of the year, according to a report today from Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.
The report said the suspension came after Apple discovered a high defect rate with the Chinese supplier's bearings in August. The bearings are used in previous-generation MacBook Air models, rather than the latest models, according to the report.
None of the MacBook Air models with defective bearings reached the market, the report added:
Industry insiders indicate that the defects were present from the beginning, but Apple only detected them during destructive testing later in the process. A subsequent full batch inspection revealed a high defect rate. Fortunately, none of the faulty products have reached the market. However, bearing defects typically take one to two years of use before becoming noticeable to consumers.
It is unclear exactly which component the report is referring to.
The report cites industry sources who believe that Apple's alleged "aggressive pricing tactics" with component vendors increases the risk of quality issues.
Popular Stories
Apple today updated its U.S. trade-in estimates, raising maximum values across the iPad lineup and for most Macs following today's announcement of the new iPad mini.
Every iPad category has gained value, although the increases are relatively modest. The iPad mini and standard iPad both rise by $20, while the iPad Air gains $15 and the iPad Pro increases by $10. The revised maximum estimates...
Strong pre-orders have reportedly prompted Apple to order millions more iPhone Duo units from suppliers, according to DigiTimes.
Supply chain sources said Foxconn and component manufacturers had received instructions reflecting a roughly 44% increase from 9.7 million to 14 million devices. The revised target reportedly follows strong pre-orders for Apple's first foldable iPhone and covers a...
Apple is testing OLED displays for future MacBook Air and iMac models, though both upgrades remain some way off, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his latest "Power On" newsletter.
The next refreshes of the devices are expected to retain LCD displays. Gurman anticipates a new iMac to arrive this week and a MacBook Air refresh in early 2027, but offered no time frame for either model's...
![iCloud Mail, Calendar, Contacts and More Experiencing Outage [Updated]](https://images.macrumors.com/t/SbkSBpphyjvBjtgfgNZg-KvvJD0=/112x112/article-new/2026/07/General-iCloud-App-Feature.jpg)
