Foxconn asked to retool assembly lines for iPhone 14 to accommodate iPhone 14 Pro models

Tech giant Apple has asked its supplier Foxconn to retool some iPhone 14 production lines in order to accommodate the iPhone 14 Pro models, media reports say.

According to AppleInsider, Zhengzhou has dismantled at least five workshops at Apple's request, according to a report citing "incomplete statistics".

Changes in production lines match a report in which analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Foxconn was switching production lines for the iPhone 14 over to the iPhone 14 Pro models.

Kuo said this is a shipment increase of roughly 10 per cent for these devices in calendar quarter four of 2022.

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Data from multiple sources point to solid demand for the iPhone 14 Pro models, with the Pro Max being the most popular, the report said.

In the US, iPhone 14 Pro Max has the longest lead time of any model released in the last six years at similar times after debut, at 36.5 days, according to investment bank Morgan Stanley.

Data from investment bank JP Morgan show strong demand for iPhone 14 Pro, saying it has a 35-day average delivery time and the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 41 days.

The reason is likely the newer features in the iPhone 14 Pro models. They get the new A16 Bionic chip, a 48MP camera, an always-on display, and more.