New Apple Watch manufacturing reportedly going through delays due to sophisticated design

Apple has delayed manufacturing of latest Apple Watch fashions as a result of it’s encountering challenges manufacturing them, Nikkei Asia reported Tuesday.

After beginning small scale manufacturing, the corporate encountered disappointing high quality with completed meeting, in accordance with the report. Individuals who spoke to Nikkei attributed the manufacturing delay to a brand new, sophisticated design, together with a brand new blood-pressure sensor and water-resistance options.

Apple usually releases new Apple Watch and iPhone fashions in September or October, though the corporate has not but introduced a launch occasion for this yr. Apple does not launch Apple Watch gross sales numbers, however it’s the largest element of Apple’s wearables division, which reported $30.62 billion in gross sales in 2020.

The report highlights the engineering challenges that Apple faces yearly when it ramps up large manufacturing strains forward of a fall launch to make sure that there’s sufficient provide of latest devices to satisfy Apple’s prodigious demand after launch, whereas protecting its product launch plans secret.

The Nikkei report gave no indication Apple would possibly postpone its new Apple Watch launch, though it stated that it’d have an effect on Apple’s plans after the brand new watches are unveiled.

Apple has a inflexible prototype manufacturing system that frequently builds bigger numbers of unreleased merchandise to work out meeting issues within the months earlier than new merchandise launch. After Apple designs a brand new product, its engineers fly out to contracted factories in Asia to work out issues in manufacturing to make sure that the corporate can construct thousands and thousands of units in brief time frames whereas adhering to the corporate’s high quality requirements.

Prior to now, Apple has confronted manufacturing points which have affected fall launches, though the corporate does not usually touch upon its operations.

Final yr, throughout the pandemic which snarled journey to Asia, two iPhone 12 fashions had been launched in October and two different fashions had been launched in November, each weeks later than Apple’s typical schedule. In 2017, Apple launched a serious iPhone redesign referred to as the iPhone X, which was in brief provide within the weeks after its November launch after studies steered that there have been manufacturing points with its facial recognition digital camera referred to as Face ID.

Apple inventory was flat throughout buying and selling on Tuesday. Suppliers of elements for the Apple Watch had been combined. Qualcomm, which sells mobile modems to Apple, was up lower than 1%.

Apple declined to remark.