Suppliers are preparing for mass production of the iPhone 12 set to begin later this month, according to a new report from Nikkei Asian Review which claims AirTags production is already underway, following earlier insights which claimed Apple was aiming to produce tens of millions of AirTags units in the second or third quarter of this year.
According to Nikkei, Apple and its suppliers have been able to shorten the production delays caused by COVID-19 significantly, reducing the delays to weeks instead of months. The report says Apple is sending the iPhone 12 into limited manufacturing soon, ahead of ramping up production toward the end of September or the start of October.
“We’ve managed to shorten the delay significantly and we are not stopping here,” a supply chain executive reportedly said. “The final assembly for some models is still going to be early October, but we are working to keep moving the production as early as possible.”
Commenting on the production of AirTags, Apple’s rumored new Tile-like tracking devices designed to attach to items such as keys and wallets, to be located through the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Nikkei say mass production is already underway, with reports suggesting the new devices will be unveiled alongside the iPhone 12 during an event in October.
In the report, Nikkei says between 73 and 74 million iPhone 12 units will be produced before the end of the year, down from the 80 million Apple is said to have originally ordered for the same period.