iPhone 14 May be Delayed Due to Tension Between China and Taiwan

Deliveries of the new iPhone 14 may be delayed due to tension between China and Taiwan. Many iPhones have chips from Taiwan but are assembled in China.

Last week, top American politician Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. China reacted furiously with military exercises and sanctions on Pelosi. China does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country but sees the island as a renegade province. Nevertheless, Taiwan has grown into a tech superpower and the leading maker of computer chips. Pelosi also visited large chip maker TSMC, which wants to entice the US to build factories on its territory.

The current situation is dire, according to new reports about Apple. The arrival of the new iPhone 14 may be delayed due to tensions between China and Taiwan. The Taiwanese TSMC makes the iPhone chips, the iPhone itself is then assembled in factories of the Taiwanese companies Foxconn and Pegatron, but they are located on the Chinese mainland.

Due to the tensions, China is suddenly imposing additional requirements on parts made in Taiwan. To keep China happy, Apple would now label parts “Made in Taiwan, China” or “Made in Chinese Taipei,” Reuters reports. That step would be necessary to avoid any problems at customs or export.

Meanwhile, Apple seems to be spreading its risk a bit more, a move that started years ago. iPhones are already being assembled for the local market in Brazil and India. Indian production, in particular, would now be scaled up and brought forward, reports the well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Through its political lobby, Apple has strongly pushed for a financial support package for the US chip industry, especially for the arrival of TSMC in the US. Apple CEO Tim Cook is said to have personally pleaded several times with senators for the support package.

Apple usually announces its new iPhones in mid-September. It is more common that the announced new Apple products are not yet available in September. For example, in September 2017, the company unveiled the iPhone X and iPhone 8 and 8 Plus simultaneously, but the iPhone X was only available in November.