Nikkei

A second-generation iPhone Air is "not expected this year," according to a Nikkei Asia report today that cites people familiar with Apple's supply chain. The report said Apple plans to release an iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone later this year, followed by the base model iPhone 18 in the first half of next year. The report said Apple does have a revamped iPhone Air in...

Apple's rumored plan to split its iPhone launch cycle beginning this year has gained additional credibility, with a new report from Nikkei Asia corroborating earlier claims from The Information, Bloomberg, and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. According to Nikkei's sources, Apple will prioritize its first foldable iPhone along with iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models for the second half of...

Apple is confronting a newly intensified supply-chain challenge for future chips as the AI boom has created a global shortage of a key material, Nikkei Asia reports. Apple is said to be struggling to secure sufficient supplies of high-end glass cloth fiber, a material that plays a critical role in the printed circuit boards and chip substrates used in iPhones and other devices. The most...

Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to ‌iPhone Air‌ production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the ‌iPhone Air‌ selling out within hours ...

Apple has been in discussions with suppliers in Taiwan about potentially building a test production hub in the country for its rumored foldable iPhone, reports Nikkei Asia. According to the outlet's sources, Apple is interested in building a mini pilot line that would "verify the equipment and fine-tune the parameters and manufacturing steps" for making its foldable iPhone, which is expected ...

Apple urgently requested suppliers to ship as many premium devices as possible to the United States by air freight, especially those priced above $3,000, in response to President Donald Trump's announcement of "reciprocal" tariffs of up to 104% on trading partners (via Nikkei). Apple, along with Dell, Microsoft, and Lenovo, reportedly scrambled to mitigate the impact of the tariffs by...

Apple's custom silicon chips will begin to be manufactured in the United States at an accelerated pace as TSMC adjusts its timelines, although the chips produced domestically will be limited to older models for the foreseeable future, Nikkei Asia reports. Exclusive Apple chip supplier TSMC has confirmed that future fabrication facilities in the United States will be brought online more...

Apple is nearing the start of mass production for its first U.S.-made A-series chips at TSMC's Arizona plant, Nikkei Asia reports. The report suggests that test production of the chips at the new TSMC plant near Phoenix has already been completed, and Apple is now in the final stages of verifying their quality and performance. The first batch of commercially viable chips could be ready for...

Apple plans to start using the M4 chip in its Apple Intelligence servers next year, according to a Nikkei Asia report this week, citing TrendForce analyst Frank Kung. Apple Intelligence servers are currently powered by the M2 Ultra chip, per previous reports. The report claims that Apple has approached its largest manufacturing partner Foxconn about building additional Apple Intelligence...

Apple is expected to launch a fourth-generation iPhone SE early next year with an OLED display for the first time, marking the completion of Apple's adoption of OLED technology across all iPhone models. According to Nikkei Asia, the move away from LCD displays will exclude two longstanding Japanese panel makers, Japan Display (JDI) and Sharp, from Apple's iPhone supply chain. In 2017,...

Apple is focusing on bringing OLED displays to its iPad and MacBook lineups rather than offering its first foldable, Nikkei Asia reports. Apple is widely expected to bring OLED displays to the iPad Pro for the first time next year ahead of a wider expansion across the MacBook lineup. Nikkei today corroborated this information citing sources said to be to be familiar with the matter, adding...

The iPhone 15's production costs are appreciably higher than those of last year's ‌iPhone‌ 14 models, marking record high component prices that Apple could pass onto customers in 2024, Nikkei Asia reports. The ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max is calculated to cost $558, a 12% increase over the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max model released in 2022. This is a record high for the total cost of an ‌iPhone‌'s...

Apple is said to be in talks with suppliers to make MacBooks in Thailand as the company continues to diversify its supply chain outside of China. According to Nikkei Asia, suppliers involved in the talks already have established bases in Thailand for other clients, which has facilitated discussion surrounding the possible assembly and production of MacBook components and modules in the...

Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset has yet to be announced, but Nikkei Asia today reported that the company's manufacturing partner Foxconn is already developing a cheaper second-generation version of the headset. Image Credit: Ian Zelbo The report cites an unnamed "executive with knowledge of the development" who claims that Apple's first headset will be "extremely expensive," with industry...

Apple has asked suppliers to make fewer components for the AirPods, MacBook, and Apple Watch families in the first quarter of this year due to low demand, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. From the report: In a sign of the gloomy outlook for consumer electronics, Apple has notified several suppliers to build fewer components for AirPods, the Apple Watch and MacBooks for the first...

Apple plans to begin producing MacBook models in Vietnam for the first time next year, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. Citing sources briefed on the matter, the report says that Apple has tapped Foxconn to start making MacBooks in the country as early as around May. Taiwan's Foxconn was granted a license in January 2021 to construct a $270 million plant in Vietnam for the...

Apple is in the process of relocating Apple Watch and Mac production to the Southeast Asian country of Vietnam as part of a broader push to diversify its supply chain, Nikkei Asia reports. The report says that Apple's supplier Luxshare has begun trial production of Apple Watch and MacBook models in Vietnam. Vietnam is already the home for production of several Apple productions, including cer...

Apple is shifting some iPad production from China to Vietnam for the first time, Nikkei Asia reports. Currently, the overwhelming majority of the ‌iPad‌'s supply chain is concentrated in China. Apple has been reported to be interested in moving at least some ‌iPad‌ production to Vietnam since January 2021, but supply chain issues over the past year are said to have delayed the move. Now, the ...

Development of at least one iPhone 14 model is three weeks behind schedule due to Chinese lockdowns and in a worst case scenario could impact initial production volumes, according to a new report today. Despite an easing of restrictions, the impact of lockdowns beginning in late March in and around Shanghai is said to have had a lingering impact on supply chains, according to sources who...

Critical Apple suppliers who produce iPhones and MacBooks have suspended production in key locations amid new restrictions and lockdowns that threaten an already constrained supply chain, Nikkei Asia reports. Citing a stock exchange filing, Nikkei Asia reports that Pegatron, one of Apple's leading iPhone suppliers after Foxconn, has suspended ‌iPhone‌ production at its facilities in Shanghai ...