Strict COVID-19 protocols in China continue to cause supply chain issues for Apple as more production hubs are forced to close.

Quanta Computer, the sole producer of MacBook Pros, has shut down its eight plants in Shanghai.

The company also produces three-quarters of the regular MacBooks. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company is implementing measure that will allow 15 per cent of its 40,000-strong workforce back in action by April 22.

Production will continue to be hampered, with delivery times of MacBook Pros already set back by five weeks.

On top of this, Apple recently saw Pegatron, the second-largest assembler of iPhones behind Foxconn, suspend production at factories in Shanghai, and the nearby Jiangsu province.

Continued shutdowns may force Apple to delay its September iPhone 14 launch.

Pegatron managed to dodge Shanghai government implemented lockdown measures in late March, with its workers able to live, travel, and work in a ‘bubble’.

It’s unclear what changed with the company’s circumstances to force the shutdown.