iPhone 14 Pro shipments to be 15-20 million lower than expected due to supply issues

Respected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that iPhone 14 Pro shipments could be up to 20 million units lower than expected over the fourth quarter of 2022 due to supply and manufacturing issues, with production “significantly affected” by recent protests at Foxconn’s main iPhone assembly facility in China.

Kuo has cut his iPhone shipments forecast for the holiday quarter by 20% to 70-75 million units, down from 80-85 million units previously.

Due to the issues and the lack of availability of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, Kuo suggests that the current demand for the devices will “disappear” rather than continue into the first quarter of 2023, with consumers likely to choose not to purchase the device rather than waiting for supply to improve.

Shipping estimates for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max stretched beyond the holidays in mid November, leaving shoppers unable to order the devices from Apple for delivery prior to Christmas.

Image: Apple

In late October, Apple said that due to the outbreak in China, production of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be lower than anticipated in the run up to the holiday shopping season, and that customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.

Most recently, a protest broke out at Foxconn’s factory in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, where Apple produces the majority of its iPhones, with workers seen outside the building arguing with authorities and marching in protest over pay and working conditions.