Customers previously had to exercise immense patience as wait times reached four weeks and beyond
Apple informed through its press release back in November of last year that its iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models would see reduced shipments during the holiday quarter due to COVID-19-related lockdowns in China. Given that Apple had informed suppliers to reduce iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus shipments due to waning demand, it was a comforting thought for the technology giant that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were in high demand. Unfortunately, its chief assembling partner, Foxconn, could not keep pace with this demand as its facility located in China had to endure lockdowns, which hampered production. Employees of the assembling giant that went on protest did not help matters either. This chain of setbacks meant that Apple was estimated to sell up to 20 million fewer iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max units in the fourth quarter of 2022. Thankfully, Apple and its supply chain partners apparently have the situation under control, with MacRumors reporting that customers placing their orders in the U.S. are receiving their shipments within 24 hours. Compared to a few weeks, if you placed an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max order in the U.S., you would have to wait up to four weeks for the same device to reach your doorstep. Looking at the difference right now, there is a substantial improvement. Still, Apple likely wants to exercise caution for the iPhone 15 launch, which is why Foxconn is rumored to have lost exclusivity status for the high-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra orders, with Pegatron and Luxshare possibly getting smaller a percentage of orders to fulfill. Hopefully, things will be better managed this year.
