Apple has warned of iPhone shortages over Christmas after an outbreak of Covid-19 forced one of its major Chinese factories to shut down.
The assembly plant, located in the city of Zhengzhou in central China, is one of the major manufacturers of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models.
It was put into lockdown by local authorities last week with 20,000 staff thought to have been forced to quarantine under Beijing’s strict ‘zero-Covid’ policy, which uses harsh measures to contain even minor outbreaks of the virus and has caused economic growth in the country to slow sharply due to the disruption.
Shutdown: Apple has been forced to close its assembly plant in Zhengzhou, central China, which is one of the major manufacturers of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models
As a result of the seven-day lockdown, Apple said delivery times would be slower, meaning customers would experience ‘longer wait times’ for their phones.
The update is likely to further disappoint investors after the tech giant reduced orders for its new iPhone 14 in September due to weaker-than-expected demand as the cost of living squeeze forced many households to shun the pricey smartphones, which start at nearly £850.
Last week, it was reported that workers were held in lockdown at the Zhengzhou factory despite claims from the plant’s owner, Taiwanese electronics firm Foxconn, that staff were able to come and go as they pleased.
Social media posts highlighted that some staff had suffered food shortages during the quarantine, while others had supposedly fled the site to avoid being locked inside.
A video also emerged last week appearing to show workers dying in factory dormitories, but Foxconn denied this.
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