Apple’s iPhone development schedule delayed by China lockdowns

Apple Inc has told its suppliers to speed up iPhone development after China’s strict Covid-19 lockdowns hampered schedule for at least one of the new phones, Nikkei reported on Wednesday, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.

Lockdowns due to China’s zero-Covid policy led iPhone assembler Pegatron Corp to suspend operations at its Shanghai and Kunshan plants earlier this year.

Financial hub Shanghai remains largely paralysed by a city-wide lockdown, which is now in its seventh week, while Beijing has ramped up quarantine efforts.

Apple last month forecast bigger problems as Covid-19 lockdowns snarled production and demand in China, with the war in Ukraine adding to the iPhone maker’s woes.