Diminishing odds for an iPhone 14 launch on schedule

September could pass without Apple fans even being able to place a pre-order for their desired iPhone 14 model, with problems with Chinese component suppliers throwing the US company’s plans adrift.

Heavily dependent on partners in China, Apple seems unable to overcome the problems raised by the COVID quarantine measures forced by the PPC (Communist Party of China) on China’s major industrial centers, reducing to total blockade both the activity of the visible partners responsible for assembling Apple products, but especially that of manufacturers of essential components, such as high-tech screens ordered by Americans.

As a result, Apple now finds itself in a seemingly hopeless situation, where screens for the most expensive iPhone 14 versions are supplied in somewhat sufficient numbers, but those that should equip the “vanilla” iPhone 14 version with the most orders are almost absent.

According to information from Display Supply Chain Consultants analyst firm CEO Ross Young, the supply of iPhone 14 phone stock is already well behind, leaving little chance for an Apple launch event that isn’t just “on paper.”

According to the generally accepted definition, “on paper” launches are those organized with great fanfare and ambiguous delivery deadlines, with buyers only later discovering that they have nowhere to buy, or will not receive the coveted product in a reasonable amount of time. There would also be the variant where the launched product ends up in stores with much inflated prices, discouraging demand on the principle of very limited supply.

In any case, it seems that even in the case of a launch after the usual timetable, only Apple fans with deep pockets will be able to make their dream come true, most likely ordering a copy of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, for which there is already enough supply of screens, relative to Apple’s scheduled manufacturing volume.

Next on the “rarities” list would be the iPhone 14 Plus, with industry sources inducing more than three times the number of screens available for this trim variant. From here, the problems only deepen for the “vanilla” iPhone 14 model, for which the screen requirements are orders of magnitude higher.

At best, Apple fans will be able to order the iPhone 14 model with the 6.7-inch screen at an inflated price, which wouldn’t necessarily be an unpleasant scenario for Apple, given the significantly increased manufacturing costs over the previous year. The problem is that the profits could go to speculators who are ripping off the retail chain rather than Apple directly.