Apple Reportedly Suspends MacBook Air Supplier Due to 'Quality Issues'
Apple has suspended MacBook bearing supplier Kersen's production for inspection purposes due to "quality issues," and shifted orders to other suppliers through the end of the year, according to a report today from Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.
The report said the suspension came after Apple discovered a high defect rate with the Chinese supplier's bearings in August. The bearings are used in previous-generation MacBook Air models, rather than the latest models, according to the report.
None of the MacBook Air models with defective bearings reached the market, the report added:
Industry insiders indicate that the defects were present from the beginning, but Apple only detected them during destructive testing later in the process. A subsequent full batch inspection revealed a high defect rate. Fortunately, none of the faulty products have reached the market. However, bearing defects typically take one to two years of use before becoming noticeable to consumers.
It is unclear exactly which component the report is referring to.
The report cites industry sources who believe that Apple's alleged "aggressive pricing tactics" with component vendors increases the risk of quality issues.
Popular Stories
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 could feature a complete redesign and blood pressure monitoring, according to DigiTimes.
Apple will apparently add a new high blood pressure notification feature to the Apple Watch that uses the optical heart-rate sensor on the back of the device to analyze how blood vessels respond to each heartbeat, sending alerts when an abnormal pattern is detected. The feature is ...
New models of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini are "nearly ready to go," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Both devices have been ready "for months," but Apple is holding off on launching them until the more personalized version of Siri is available, he said.
"I am told the hardware for the next Apple TV...
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max's all-new variable aperture lens will cost Apple 50% more than the camera unit used in current models, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Variable aperture has been one of the most persistent iPhone camera rumors of the past few years. Kuo first flagged the feature in late 2024, and it has since been corroborated by multiple reports and...
