iPhone 14 may face a similar fate as the iPhone 12

iPhone 14 could be delayed like iPhone 12 for the same reason. The global manufacturing scene has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing major shutdowns in affected countries. And Apple is among the many companies that are severely affected by this phenomenon. As a result, the iPhone 14 may see production delays, which could eventually lead to Apple delaying its launch as well, the latest industry information suggests.

A report from Digitnews says that Apple's component manufacturers and hardware assemblers could be forced to delay the launch of the iPhone 14. The delay is mainly due to the other wave of the COVID-19 pandemic causing closures in several countries, eventually forcing production to stop or production to be limited. This could ultimately affect the release cycle, considering the phone is supposed to go into mass production soon.

The iPhone 14 could be delayed

However, not everything is gloomy for Apple. A report by The WSJ says that Apple suppliers in and around Shanghai are resuming production. "Nearly all affected final assembly plants have now restarted. We are pleased that the number of infections reported in Shanghai has decreased over the past few days.," says Apple Coo Tim Cook.

Cook also said that while all of his suppliers have reopened, it could take a while for factories to return to regular production levels. Although Cook didn't say anything about how this could affect the launch of the iPhone 14, industry insiders have their concerns.

He notes that Shanghai and the nearby provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang have the highest concentrations of Apple suppliers. "There are 31 such companies in Shanghai, 79 in Jiangsu province. Another seven are located in Zhejiang province," says the report.

The iPhone 14 will be another slight upgrade over the iPhone 13, except for one significant change: the Max variant. Rumours suggest that the iPhone 13 Mini will be the last of its kind, and Apple will replace it with an iPhone 14 Max. It will sit between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro in terms of price and offer the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 6.7-inch notched display. What remains to be seen is whether Apple will give it the 120Hz ProMotion display this year. The iPhone 14 Pro variant will see massive upgrades across cameras, display, design, and performance bits this year.