Apple has been gearing up to start mass production of the iPhone 14 series in the coming weeks. However, as the company struggles with supplies, Apple is increasing its supplier list for the upcoming iPhone 14 models.
Recently, SG Micro components have passed quality certification for high-end iPhone 14 models, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Twitter. As a result, the Chinese integrated circuit (IC) manufacturer has been added to Apple's list of suppliers for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
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5. 聖邦取得高階iPhone訂單，意味著該公司技術水準在消費電子應用已達一線廠商水準，提高了未來進入汽車與伺服器等更高階應用的展望能見度。— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) July 22, 2022
Reporting from Gizmochina (22/7), the IC from SG Micro that controls and regulates the level will be used by Apple in this year's iPhone. According to Kuo, this will be the first time SG Micro has supplied parts for Apple's high-end devices, which will boost sales for the company and allow for faster iPhone 14 shipments.
According to analysts, the transaction with SG Micro shows that its chip's technical prowess “has reached the tier-1 level,” which is required for parts used in high-end electronic devices. Apple also collaborated with a new vendor earlier this year to purchase camera parts for the iPhone 14 Pro.
In May, the Covid-19 lockdown in China caused a three-week delay in manufacturing the iPhone 14. Significantly, the iPhone 14 Max was the most negatively affected by the delay.
Recently, Kuo added that mass production of the iPhone 14 will cause Apple to experience supply problems. However, according to experts, this issue will only have a “limited impact” on the shipments of the new phones. This is so Apple has enough time to build a large number of units before officially releasing new stuff. Apple orders millions of parts months in advance.
However, due to the ongoing shortage of chips, the initial supply of the iPhone 14 may not be that large. Recently, shortly after the new laptop launched last week, shipping expectations for the new MacBook Air M2 were revised down to the end of August. There are also supply chain issues with other devices, such as the iPad.
