Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max concept shows expected top price of $1,199
Apple’s iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models have very different designs and specifications. Their production schedules have also taken very different paths, and a new report has only added to confusion about their release.
Last week, an interesting report claimed that iPhone 14 Max screen production is “still too late until August” and 3 times behind the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Doubts about the availability and release of the model have grown, especially after previous reports from Nikkei Asia and Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Poe that iPhone 14 Max supplies will be delayed by about a month.
Now respected analyst TF International Securities Ming-Chi Kuo has dropped these reports in a Tweet thread: “I recently learned that some vendors of boards and memory for the iPhone 14 had problems with the supply,” he explains. “But it should have a limited impact on the upcoming iPhone 14 mass production because other suppliers can fill the supply gap.”
Notably, Kuo says that Samsung and Apple’s new manufacturing partner BOE “can bridge the gap caused by LG Display’s appearance issues,” which mostly affects the iPhone 14 Max. Kuo also believes that LG Display “should not take much time to address the issue.”
Leaked schematics suggest the iPhone 14 will be visually identical to the iPhone 13
It’s unusual to see high-profile insiders split in this way, particularly around production, as leaks tend to be largely consistent as manufacturing volumes grow and Apple becomes less able to maintain secrecy. Apple has split iPhone versions in the past (iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 8 and iPhone X) due to production issues, which is where the difference in manufacturing volumes can go, but is rare.
However, Apple’s decisions about the phones themselves are likely to be more divisive. Despite the significant differences in design and performance between the iPhone 14 Pro and non-Pro models, Apple is allegedly pushing prices across the board.
It remains to be seen if this matters in a long-term carrier contract. With demand potentially outstripping supply, I think any delay in the iPhone 14 Max models will eventually lead to many Apple fans paying (even) more for a well-equipped Pro model.
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