Foxconn riots in China: production of 6 million iPhones at risk

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The situation relating to the protests in China over the new Covid restrictions has never been so critical even in the early stages of the pandemic, and it is news these days that iPhone production could also undergo a drastic slowdown due to the riots that are going on in these hours affecting the Foxconn headquarters in Zhengzhou.

The situation is delicate and complex, but let’s make a very brief summary to better understand how this situation came about. For a few weeks now, the Zhengzhou campus has been devastated by blockades and worker unrest, after Covid infections have started to rise again to levels above those of the beginning of the pandemic and the government, which has always adopted a tough fist to contain the virus, has given way to more restrictive lockdowns. But this is not the only side of the coin and there are other elements weighing on the current situation as we will see shortly.

The clashes at Foxconn. Photo credits AFPTV TEAMS

Shortage of food and working conditions bordering on tolerance prompted many employees to flee as early as last October, when new patchy lockdowns began, motivated by the idea of ​​avoiding a forced closure within the Foxconn area. But these have been replaced by new employees and this move has only caused new even more intense unrest.

The Foxconn plant produces the majority of iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max devices, which are the most in-demand Apple devices this year. These are the two most premium smartphones produced by the Cupertino company and which have allowed it to keep demand high at the expense of the two less expensive models, but the cold shower seems to be on its way. According to a source of Bloomberg close to developments, the turmoil at the manufacturing hub in Zhengzhou is likely to result in a drop in production of nearly 6 million iPhone units.

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Apple she is aware of the situation and may have already turned down its overall production target at about 87 million units, up from a previous projection of 90 million unitsas reported by Bloomberg News. At the moment it is difficult to say when the situation will be resolved, but the same source believes that in order to recover the 6 million units of production lost, it will be necessary to wait at least until 2023.

It is clear that such a deficit and an unstable situation before the Christmas holidays will represent a significant problem for Apple, and in fact the article published by Bloomberg it immediately had a negative impact on the company’s prices, which is currently losing almost 2 percentage points in the stock market.

  • Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is available online from Amazon at 1.489 euros. The value for money is great and it is the best device in this price range.
  • Apple iPhone 14 Pro is available online from Amazon at 1.339 euros. The value for money is great and it is the best device in this price range.
(updated November 28, 2022, 12:10)