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Apple on the attackIf you order an iPhone now, you won’t get it until Christmas
Retailers no longer want to guarantee that the new generation of iPhones will work as a gift under the Christmas tree. The reason should not be the escape of many employees who were previously locked up, but the great demand.
In China, employees of the Apple supplier Foxconn have fled a corona lockdown.
Video: Twitter/Haohong_CFA
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Apple makes headlines with lousy conditions for employees.
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The demand for the new iPhones is still high.
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The dealers are therefore warning of long delivery delays.
News scout F.* ordered the new iPhone 14 Pro Max from Sunrise on October 3rd. Four weeks later he still didn’t get it. The Sunrise customer service was asked for understanding, the delivery time is currently about six weeks. A spokeswoman confirmed the delay.
The cell phone was supposed to be a Christmas present. That’s why F. is nervous about whether the delivery will arrive on time given the reports about Apple’s largest factory. From the factory of the Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn in China fled numerous employeesby climbing over the fences with their belongings.
They were previously locked up on the factory premises in a week-long corona lockdown due to China’s zero-Covid policy. In addition to the human tragedy, the economic impact is also great. According to analysts, production could fall by up to 30 percent in November.
Bonus payments for staying
Foxconn is now trying to persuade employees to stay with bonus payments equivalent to around 55 francs per day of attendance. But even if they don’t want to stay, the company can quickly replace the employees because many people are dependent on the job despite the poor conditions, says Swiss IT expert Röbi Weiss to 20 minutes.
If some flee, it won’t have much of an impact either. Around 200,000 people work in the plant. In addition, Apple has learned to rely on several pillars and is now benefiting from production plants in Vietnam.
The current delays at Swiss retailers also have nothing to do with the lockdowns in China. “By the time the devices arrive here, they’ve been in shipping containers for weeks,” says Weiss. The reason for the current delivery delays is the high demand. “Older models are all readily available, but the Swiss always want the best,” says Weiss.
Only new iPhones are scarce
Also at Digitec-Galaxus, the new Apple cell phones are currently hardly available. “The new iPhones 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max are very scarce, Apple cannot meet the great demand,” says Digitec-Galaxus spokesman Alex Hämmerli at 20 minutes. It is difficult to predict how much the lockdowns in China will increase shortages.
“There are already waiting times for the new iPhone models until the end of December. We will be able to deliver most of the devices earlier, but anyone who orders an iPhone of the latest generation now has no guarantee that it will arrive before Christmas,” says Hämmerli. Instead, you have to put a voucher under the Christmas tree.
The other iPhone models and cell phones from other manufacturers are mostly readily available.
China’s zero Covid policy
China still has a very strict zero-Covid policy. Lockdowns and company closures due to small outbreaks of the corona virus are burdening the economy. Nevertheless, President Xi Jinping recently announced that he wanted to stick to the previous corona policy. According to official figures, more than 2,000 new cases were reported nationwide for the second day in a row.
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Tag: iphone design, iphone 14, apple iphone, iphone release