A Foxconn facility
AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site.
Lead times for the iPhone 14 Pro orders have moderated slightly outside of China, but the ongoing COVID-related labor problems at the main iPhone factory are still a problem.
Week 12 of the JP Morgan Apple Product Availability Tracker has seen mixed results across all main iPhone 14 models. On a global basis, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have seen lead times grow from 2 days in week 11 to 3 days, the Pro and Pro Max saw times reduce to averages of 35 days each from 41 days apiece a week prior.
The reduced lead times for the Pro models are seen as "encouraging trends in relation to supply improvement," according to JP Morgan. In most regions outside of China, the lead times have gone down.
However, the elevated lead times in China are said to show that challenges at to the Zhengzhou facility in China, Apple's main producer of Pro models, are still ongoing. The continued issues at the factory could mean it will take time for "supply and demand to reach balance relative to years past," the tracker seen by AppleInsider reads.
Even so, the overall moderation of lead times for the models "appear indicative of cycling past the worst in relation to supply challenges," analysts behind the tracker write. The continued situation and delays in returning to a normal level of production at the factory "could limit the pace with which the supply-demand equilibrium can be reached in the coming months," though supply does has somewhat rebounded already.
Against the iPhone 13 generation, the base iPhone 14 model lead times are relatively in line with the previous versions, while the Pro models are now comparatively longer.
In the United States, the iPhone 14 and Plus lead times are relatively stable at 4 days versus 3 days one week prior, while Pro models moderated to 33 days from 40 days. While the iPhone 14 and Plus are available for same-day pickup, the Pro models are largely unavailable.
For China, the base models stay at 2 days, in line with the iPhone 13 comparatives. The Pro and Pro Max times are still at 43 days, the longest lead times across all regions being tracked.
In Europe, German and British lead times for the iPhone 14 and Plus hit 4 days, up from 1 day a week ago, which is said to be in line with the iPhone 13. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are at 32 days in Germany, down from 39 days one week earlier, and 33 days in the UK, down from 40 days.
For the Wearables Tracker, supply and demand seems to be balanced. For the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra, JPM says lead times of 6, 7, and 4 days respectively are stable versus one week ago.
The second-generation AirPods Pro have seen a marginal increase in lead times, from 2 days to 3 days.
