Abstract:
According to Nikkei Asia, the mass production schedule of Apple’s first foldable screen iPhone has once again encountered challenges. Supply chain sources revealed that Apple’s average daily production at the end of August was only a few hundred units. Since Apple has set extremely high standards for product quality, this new model, which is expected to be named iPhone Ultra, is still some way away from mass shipments.
A supply chain manager familiar with the situation said that the production of foldable screen iPhones is slowly ramping up, but as of the end of August, the daily output is still only a few hundred units. Based on current production capacity, initial supply may not be able to meet market demand.
This is not the first time Apple has encountered production difficulties with foldable screen iPhones. Multiple reports have pointed out that the device’s hinge structure and display durability testing have been major bottlenecks. Although these problems were once thought to have been resolved during Foxconn's trial production phase, and Apple later adjusted this year's order volume to about 10 million units from the previous 7 to 8 million units, the latest news shows that mass production preparations are not yet completely completed.
It was reported that Apple conducted additional verification of the folding screen iPhone in August to ensure that the product could be mass-produced according to the established design. People familiar with the matter said that Apple is currently paying particular attention to the flatness of the fuselage surface and hinge performance, and requires suppliers to further improve production yields.
These additional verification efforts apparently delayed commercial production, causing mass production to be pushed back by several weeks. Apple and its suppliers are currently stepping up production "around the clock" and hope to increase production capacity as soon as possible to avoid insufficient inventory in distribution centers after the products are launched.
For Apple, time is already very tight. It has been previously reported that iPhone Ultra may adopt a staged launch strategy, with the first batch being sold only in the US market, and then gradually entering other countries and regions. If the production schedule cannot be improved in time, this arrangement may become one of Apple's ways to deal with the initial supply shortage.
However, Apple is still expected to officially release iPhone Ultra at the "Surprise and Shine" special event on September 9, and debut it together with iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. As for whether this foldable screen iPhone can be launched on a large scale immediately after its release, it still needs further confirmation from Apple and the supply chain.
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