Rising unrest in Apple’s key iPhone production factory in China is going to significantly increase delivery time for iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max for shoppers.
Customers will face a wait time of up to 32 days after placing an order for the iPhone 14 Pro, as per the delivery data compiled by Counterpoint Research.
When ChannelNews tested a sample order on Apple’s online store on 30th November, the “standard delivery” option for both the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max displayed an estimated arrival date of Jan 2nd– more than a month later from now.
A representative who answered Apple’s customer service hotline advised customers on purchasing the Pro and Pro Max models online as soon as possible, especially if they are intended as gifts.
“You should order it, honestly. It’s like this everywhere across the country,” the representative said. “The 14 Pro Max is extremely difficult to find in stores, if at all, and they’ve got a four-week lead time. There is no way to get them earlier, that’s just the current availability at this point.”
“Across the country, they’ve been sold out for the last week and a half, probably,” the representative added.
The current riot at Foxconn is putting immense pressure on the company’s supply chain at peak period, with numerous workers attempting to leave due to reasons that include harsh working conditions and poor wages.
The factory, however, is offering almost $2700 to existing employees in an effort to retain staff.
It is willing to increase their wages by as much as 13,000 yuan per month in December and January for full-time workers who’d joined at the start of November or earlier, the company said in a notice over the weekend.
Last week, workers from the plant had a clash with police, as seen in some videos that circulated after.
