Vietnam COVID Outbreak Constrains Supply of Camera Modules for New iPhone 13, Delays Deliveries [Report]

A COVID outbreak in Vietnam is constraining supplies of camera modules for all four new iPhone 13 models, resulting in delayed deliveries to customers, according to Nikkei Asia.

Supply chain sources had expected this year's rollout of new iPhones to be relatively smooth, given that most changes to the updated devices are only incremental and Apple has been able to stockpile many key components. But the company has expanded the use of its new sensor-shift optical image stabilization (OIS) to all four iPhone models when previously it was only in the premium iPhone 12 Pro Max. This has put suppliers in the position of having to ramp up production without jeopardizing production quality, against the backdrop of severe restrictions due to COVID.

"Assemblers can still produce the new iPhones, but there's a supply gap [in] that the inventories of the camera modules are running low," one of the executives with direct knowledge told Nikkei Asia. "There's nothing we can do but to monitor the situation in Vietnam every day and wait for them to ramp up the output."


It's believed that the situation may improve in mid-October as a key camera module manufacturing facility in south Vietnam has gradually resumed production in recent days.

Are you still waiting for your iPhone 13 delivery? Let us know in the comments!

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