Leaked Information Points to Trouble in iPhone 13 Production

Leaked Information points to trouble in iPhone 13 production. The leaks revealed most of the big improvements Apple made, but also revealed problems in production.

In a new report, The Wall Street Journal has revealed that two small - but critical - iPhone component manufacturers are experiencing serious manufacturing issues that could "threat" iPhone 13 production shortly after the phone's launch. WSJ explains that suppliers Murata Manufacturing and Taiyo Yuden Co manufacture multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), which are small ceramic pieces used to control the flow of electricity inside a device. More than 1,000 MLCCs are required on an average smartphone. Both suppliers have been affected by the increase in Covid-19 infections in East Asia. Taiyo Yuden had to operate without 40% of its employees, while Murata, the world's largest MLCC producer (responsible for 40% of the global MLCC supply), had to shut down completely. In July, Apple CFO Luca Maestri said, “We expect the supply constraints in the September quarter to be greater than what we experienced in the June quarter. The restrictions will primarily affect iPhone and iPad.” Last month, Apple's largest chip supplier, TSMC, announced a significant increase in component prices, which could lead to last-minute iPhone 13 price increases, according to analysts. Recent iPhone 13 release date leaks suggest that Apple could launch the phones within two weeks. So we won't have to wait long to find out if Tim Cook has decided to bear the additional costs. Multiple leaks have revealed that the new iPhone 13 series will come with massive new rear cameras, bigger batteries, faster charging, next-gen WiFi and a smaller notch. iPhone 13 Pro buyers will also benefit from globally upgraded 5G, 120Hz ProMotion displays and twice the storage.