iPhone 13 deliveries delayed by COVID outbreaks in Vietnam: report

Apple customers are waiting longer than expected for deliveries of the new iPhone 13 as a coronavirus wave hits the company’s suppliers in Vietnam, according to a new report. 

Companies that manufacture sensors for the new iPhone’s image stabilization camera feature have been asked to ramp up production to meet demand for the new phones — even as Vietnam faces severe lockdowns during its worst-ever wave of coronavirus infections, Nikkei reported Wednesday. 

The supply chain bottleneck has led to wait times of more than a month for the new iPhone in many countries, according to the outlet. 

Chinese customers looking to buy the iPhone 13 Pro Sierra Blue with 512 GB storage are currently facing five-week wait times in China and Japan, according to Nikkei. US customers looking to buy the same model are facing wait times of four weeks. 

Other iPhone models have also been hit with multi-week wait times, according to the report. 

A coronavirus test being administered in Vietnam
Vietnam is facing severe lockdowns during its worst-ever wave of coronavirus infections.
EPA

“Assemblers can still produce the new iPhones, but there’s a supply gap [in] that the inventories of the camera modules are running low,” an executive with knowledge of the bottleneck told Nikkei. “There’s nothing we can do but to monitor the situation in Vietnam every day and wait for them to ramp up the output.”

Apple did not immediately to a request for comment. 

Vietnam is not the only country where Apple is facing threats to its supply chain. 

Tim Cook with new iPhone
The iPhone 13’s upgraded camera features rely on components from Vietnam.
Apple Inc./AFP via Getty Images

Earlier this week, multiple Chinese factories that work with Apple, Tesla and other tech firms were forced to suspend production for several days amid power shortages in the country.

The power amid a push from Beijing to cut emissions and surging prices for coal and gas.

Apple, like many other companies, has also been forced to delay or modify production of certain products due to the global shortage of semiconductors. 

A woman wearing a mask in Vietnam.
“There’s nothing we can do but to monitor the situation in Vietnam every day and wait for them to ramp up the output,” an executive told Nikkei.
AFP via Getty Images

The company has been forced to use some semiconductors meant for its new iPads for iPhone 13s instead, leading to delays for the new iPad and iPad mini, according to Nikkei. 

source: nypost.com