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Development of at least one iPhone 14 model is three weeks behind schedule due to Chinese lockdowns and in a worst case scenario could impact initial production volumes, according to a new report today. Despite an easing of restrictions, the impact of lockdowns beginning in late March in and around Shanghai is said to have had a lingering impact on supply chains, according to sources who...

Critical Apple suppliers who produce iPhones and MacBooks have suspended production in key locations amid new restrictions and lockdowns that threaten an already constrained supply chain, Nikkei Asia reports. Citing a stock exchange filing, Nikkei Asia reports that Pegatron, one of Apple's leading iPhone suppliers after Foxconn, has suspended ‌iPhone‌ production at its facilities in Shanghai ...

Apple is reportedly cutting production for the new third-generation iPhone SE just weeks after launch due to uncertainty caused by current global conflict and alleged low demand, according to a report from Nikkei Asia citing unnamed sources. According to the report, Apple has informed suppliers to cut back on production of the ‌iPhone SE‌ for this quarter by as much as two to three million...

In January 2020, a man who identified himself as an Apple parts manager informed Japanese auto supplier Sanden that Apple wanted to make electric vehicles, and presented schematics of an electric vehicle and air conditioner parts, according to Nikkei Asia. Apple Car concept by Vanarama based on patents filed by Apple Sanden is a leading manufacturer of air conditioner parts for vehicles, and...

Apple's main chip manufacturing partner TSMC will beginning producing Apple's first in-house 5G modem chips for the iPhone in 2023, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. The move, which has been under development for several years and enhanced by Apple's 2019 acquisition of the majority of Intel's modem business, will allow Apple to shift away from Qualcomm as a supplier for the important chips ...

Amid long waiting times for iPhone 13 models around the world, Apple has reportedly reallocated iPad parts to make up for shortages, in another signal that the global paucity of chips is impacting Apple's supply chain. ‌iPad‌ and iPhone share common components including core and peripheral chips, which means Apple is able to shift supplies between the devices to prioritize one or the other,...

The newly launched iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are apparently hitting a snag in production, mainly due to a new wave of health concerns and limited manufacturing capacity for the devices' camera systems in Vietnam, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. The ‌iPhone 13‌ mini, ‌iPhone 13‌, ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌, and ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max all feature sensor-shift optical image stabilization, a...

Apple will need to pay more for the chips in its devices and may pass rising costs on to its customers, according to sources speaking to Nikkei Asia. TSMC, Apple's main chip supplier, is in the process of increasing its prices following wider inflation in the industry caused by the global chip supply shortage. The company's planned price rises are said to be the most substantial chip price...

On Tuesday, Nikkei Asia published a report claiming the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 will feature blood pressure measurement capabilities, and that this is one of the reasons why production of the device has hit snags as manufacturers adjust to the more complex design. Later the same day, Bloomberg cited its own sources corroborating Nikkei's main claim that the new model had brought...

Production of the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 has been delayed due to the upcoming watch featuring a "complicated design," according to a report by Nikkei Asia. According to the report, Apple suppliers began small-scale production of the watch last week, and during which, employees "encountered critical challenges in reaching satisfactory production performance." Manufacturers of Apple...

Foxconn, one of Apple's largest suppliers, has said it will begin construction of all-electric vehicle plants in the United States and Thailand this year, with hopes of them being operational by 2023, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. From the report: Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics producer, on Thursday said it will build electric vehicle manufacturing facilities...

Apple is tapping more Chinese suppliers as it seeks to meet ambitious targets for iPhone 13 production, according to a new report by Nikkei Asia. Apple is set to produce between 90 million and 95 million iPhones through January, according to a previous Nikkei report, and China's Luxshare Precision Industry has won 3% of orders away from Taiwanese rivals Foxconn and Pegatron. Luxshare will...

The most important TSMC factory that manufactures Apple's chips destined for next-generation iPhone and Mac models has been hit by a gas contamination, according to Nikkei Asia. The factory, known as "Fab 18," is TSMC's most advanced chipmaking facility. TSMC is Apple's sole chip supplier, making all of the processors used in every Apple device with a custom silicon chip. Industry...

Apple chip supplier TSMC is planning to manufacture chips with a 2nm fabrication process by 2024, according to Nikkei Asia. TSMC plans to build a new factory on 50 acres of land for two-nanometer chips in Hsinchu, Taiwan, scheduled to begin manufacturing operations in 2024. Construction has been cleared to begin in early 2022, with equipment being installed in 2023. For context, if Apple...

Mass production of the third-generation AirPods will kick off in August, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. They will reportedly join a number of other products such as the iPhone 13 lineup and redesigned MacBook Pro models as launches coming before the end of the year. Renderings of rumored third-generation AirPods design Rumored launch dates for the third-generation AirPods have...

The next version of Apple's budget iPhone SE could arrive in the first half of 2022 and look very similar to the current design that's based on the iPhone 8, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. The main upgrades in the new model will be Apple's A15 chip that will appear first in the 2021 flagship iPhone 13 lineup, as well as 5G support provided by Qualcomm's X60 modem chip. Just...

Apple is cutting production of its ultra-popular AirPods by around 25% to 30% due to a decrease in sales as a result of increased competition in the wireless earphone industry, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. According to the report, citing sources familiar with Apple's production plans, the tech giant now plans to produce only roughly 75 to 85 million units of AirPods for the...

Apple's custom next-generation Mac processor entered mass production this month, claims a new report today from Nikkei Asia. Tentatively dubbed the "M2" after Apple's M1 chip, the processors take at least three months to produce and could begin shipping as early as July in time for incorporation in Apple's next line of MacBooks, according to the paper's sources. The next generation of Mac...

Apple is facing a global shortage of certain components for some of its MacBook and iPad models, causing the Cupertino tech giant and its suppliers to postpone production of the products, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. According to the report, MacBook production is being hindered due to the shortage of chips mounted onto the circuit board before final assembly, which is a key...

Apple is planning redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by Apple silicon for release in the second half of 2021, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and a Nikkei Asia report today lends credence to that timeframe. In a report focused on Apple slashing iPhone 12 orders from suppliers, the publication briefly noted that Apple has pushed back mass production of the two new...