iPhone 14 delay fears beginning to materialize as largest assembler freezes hiring
Yesterday, it was reported that the biggest iPhone assembler, Foxconn, has been instructed by Apple to ramp up hiring for the iPhone 14 series ahead of schedule to reduce the likelihood of a delay in the launch of the 2022 iPhones, but recruitment has now been halted.
South China Morning Post says that Foxconn froze hiring at a large Zhengzhou facility after the Chinese government announced a seven-day lockdown in response to new Covid outbreaks.
Foxconn had previously increased bonuses to lure workers during what is considered the off-season to prepare for the production of the iPhone 14 and prevent disruption to iPhone 13 production.
The company has now suspended the hiring of assembly line workers until further notice. Production has not been impacted, thanks to the Zhengzhou facility's "closed-loop" system that confines workers within factories and dormitories.
Foxconn's Zhengzhou facilities account for 80 percent of the world's iPhones and if the lockdown is extended, iPhone 14's production schedule could be impacted. Apple has already warned that Covid-19 shutdowns in China could affect its supply chain.
The pandemic forced Apple to delay the launch of the iPhone 12 by more than a month but the company was able to go back to a September schedule last year. Given the Covid situation is not as bad as it was in 2020, we are unlikely to see a delay of this length this year, but if the past two years have taught us anything, it is that you never know what's going to happen next.
Apple's next iPhones are likely to keep the same general design as the iPhone 13 series but the Pro models could sport pill and hole cutouts, a higher resolution main camera, and a new chip, and this could make them the best phones of 2022.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: