Apple’s been struggling to keep its recently released iPhone 14 Pro in stock and a lot of its customers will be disappointed during this holiday shopping season. A new report from Bloomberg says growing political unrest throughout China, including at one of Apple’s key manufacturing plants in that country, will likely slow production even further.
Apple could face a manufacturing shortfall of 6 million units of its iPhone 14 Pro line, which starts at $999, according to Bloomberg, which cited an anonymous source. Apple had already said last month that various breakouts of COVID-19 in China had already led to supply shortages – and that the issue hit amid economic uncertainty around the globe and nagging inflation driven by energy prices.
The company’s key manufacturing plant in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou has been facing waves of protest, as employees publicly challenge China’s “zero-COVID” policy that has repeatedly led to sweeping, longterm lockdowns and crackdowns in all areas of life for nearly three years. Protests, which are rare in China, have also been spreading across the country.