The holiday season is over, and Apple reportedly predicted a drop in demand for some of its flagship products. Nikkei Asia Today we learn that Cupertino has imposed on several suppliers to manufacture fewer components for MacBook, AirPods and Apple Watch, citing weakening demand.
« Apple has alerted us to a drop in orders for almost all product lines “Explained the manager of an Apple subcontractor to the newspaper. He adds that this would be linked to a decrease in demand.
If this drop in orders does not help subcontractors, the situation on the production lines is also complicated by the recent relaxation COVID-related restrictions in China. Although the leaders expect an improvement in the situation in the long term, they must first deal with waves of contamination that upset the entire organization.
According to people interviewed by Nikkei Asia, Cupertino is not spared. The boss of an electronics company supplying Samsung, Apple and several Chinese smartphone makers said:
It’s very chaotic. The new wave of COVID has spread super fast, and most companies have already found it unwise to quarantine their employees.
Cupertino has already suffered long weeks of turbulence in November and December for the production of its iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max following riots at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, China. It was therefore very difficult to find a smartphone to put under the tree, which should represent a serious shortfall for Apple. The latest news is that iPhone 14 Pro production is reportedly returning to normal at the site, which manufactures many of Cupertino’s high-end phones.