The American company, Apple, has said that deliveries of its phone (iPhone 14 Pro) will be affected by the closure of its largest factory in China due to restrictions to fight the Corona pandemic.
And Apple said in a statement that the main “iPhone” manufacturing site in Zhengzhou, central China, “is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity” by the discovery of Corona virus infections among its workers.
“Customers will have to wait longer to receive their new products,” he added.
This is bad news for the company as the holiday season approaches.
Taiwanese firm Foxconn – Apple’s main contractor – has been facing an increase in Corona virus infections since last October at its huge factory in Zhengzhou, which is the largest iPhone factory in the world.
Foxconn announced in a statement that it expects worse-than-expected results by the end of the year.
“We are now working with the authorities in a joint effort against the outbreak to resume full production as soon as possible,” he added.
According to estimates by the specialist company (Trend Force), Apple’s production capacity for “iPhone” phones will decrease by two million to three million devices during the last quarter of this year due to the epidemic conditions in Zhengzhou.
Apple relies heavily on China, where over 90% of its products are made, and is one of its most important markets.
Unlike other Silicon Valley companies, Apple has so far weathered the economic crisis well, despite the impact of the dollar’s rise on its revenue.
And between July and September, the company recorded an increase in sales of “iPhone” phones – its main product – by 9.7% in one year.
The company and experts predict strong demand for the “iPhone 14” and “iPhone 14 Pro Max” phones during the holiday season.
Focusun is China’s largest private sector operator, with over one million employees in approximately 30 factories and research facilities in the country.
And the Chinese health ministry announced on Monday that it had detected about 5,500 new infections, a large percentage of them in the coastal province of Guangdong, in the south of the country, which is an important manufacturing center.
