Despite record output, Foxconn unable to keep up with massive iPhone 6 demand

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post

     

     

    So... you are saying that "if" Apple were to need 75 million per quarter, for 2 quarters, then they could be made... no problem?


    Yes. That's what I'm saying. Part of running a successful manufacturing business is forecasting demand. Apple is second to none in running their supply chain. If they needed to make 75 million per quarter, they would have forecast that and planned for it.

  • Reply 22 of 66
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,100member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post

     

     

    So... you are saying that "if" Apple were to need 75 million per quarter, for 2 quarters, then they could be made... no problem?


     

    That's correct. Because Apple would have had more than 20 million phones in their inventory channel, before they went on sale.  

  • Reply 23 of 66
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Guys! Yesterday a Fandroid figured out why iPhone 6 sales were so high!
    He finally cracked it:

    "Only previous iPhone users are buying it. That's why sales so high."
  • Reply 24 of 66

    Let's blame Tim Cook for not being Apple to compensate for expected, unexpected iPhone demand.  If Steve Jobs were alive, this would never have happened.  Apple is in big trouble if they can't sell 15 million iPhones in one weekend.  Why should anyone use Apple Pay if Tim Cook can't even get a handle on iPhone production.  Only 540,000 iPhones a day from Foxconn?!!! I thought the iPhone was going to be a SUCCESSFUL product but it looks as though it's falling short of Wall Street's expectations.  Hershey pumps out at least 5X as many Kisses on a daily basis.  I thinks it's high time shareholders dump Apple stock because Apple continues to fall behind Android in market share and with Android One and $75 smartphones to India it can only get much worse.  Woe is Apple.  The ratio of iPhone 6 to iPhone 6 Plus is all messed up by leaving too much money on the table.  Apple is losing money because more people are buying the iPhone 6 when they should be buying the more expensive iPhone 6 Plus.  If Apple doesn't sell 90 million iPhones by the end of the year, that's the end of Apple.  90 million iPhones means they're not even trying.  It will mean that anyone who ever wanted an iPhone already has one and that's the end of Apple's future for all time.  Dump Apple U.S. and invest in Xiaomi, the Apple of China.  Now that's a company that's going places.

     

    /s

  • Reply 25 of 66
    I don't see the math????? How can u work around the clock, with production that has to have been going on for at least several weeks now, 400K & 100+K units a day, I mean in just 1 weeks time you are talking about 2.8MILLION units of the 6!!! And they announced the phones almost 2 weeks ago before release date???? When did production start 9/9/14?.. Just my pennies worth...
  • Reply 26 of 66
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DavidW View Post

     

     

    That's correct. Because Apple would have had more than 20 million phones in their inventory channel, before they went on sale.  


     

    That just doesn't make sense.

     

    Hell, Apple is constrained now and I really doubt the sales will be even close to 75 million for 1 quarter.

  • Reply 27 of 66

    Apple sales are only constrained right now because demand is spiked just after the product launch. Looking forward, production is probably at the correct rate for the expected sales.

  • Reply 28 of 66
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chabig View Post

     

    Yes. That's what I'm saying. Part of running a successful manufacturing business is forecasting demand. Apple is second to none in running their supply chain. If they needed to make 75 million per quarter, they would have forecast that and planned for it.


     

    It doesn't matter how many Apple wants... it's about how many can be made. As I mentioned before... Apple's manufacturers are at capacity now.

  • Reply 29 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chabig View Post

     

    Apple sales are only constrained right now because demand is spiked just after the product launch. Looking forward, production is probably at the correct rate for the expected sales.


     

    Oh for shit's sake. Give your head a shake. I'm talking about a future where Apple is at a limit as to how many phones can be made.

     

    Apple just can't snap its fingers and... voila!... phones are made... and you just can't build more plants for increased demand. There is a complete supply chain.

  • Reply 30 of 66
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post

     

    Apple's manufacturers are at capacity now.


    They are at the "planned" capacity. If Apple needed more phones they would have planned to make more and had the capacity to make them.

  • Reply 31 of 66
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post

     

     

    Oh for shit's sake. Give your head a shake. I'm talking about a future where Apple is at a limit as to how many phones can be made.


    And what is that limit? If Apple needs to make more they will build production lines to do so.

  • Reply 32 of 66

    Apple needs to pull a Bruce Wayne. Build a giant duplicate Foxconn factory here with a runway strip next to it and in the dead of night fly the workers to the US to build.

  • Reply 33 of 66
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,655member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    I don't understand why Apple does not start manufactering earlier.

     

    The main reason not to start early is to avoid leaks.  But who cares at this point?  You can stop the leaks so why not start production 3 months ahead of launch? 


    Probably because all the components and/or final design wasn't ready.   So they couldn't manufacture earlier unless they deferred the announcement.   

     

    But what difference does it make?   Why does everyone think that every manufactured unit has to be available on the first day of release?   Not everyone buys the first day and people with subsidized phones have to wait until their contracts are up anyway.    My contract is up in November and that's usually a good time because around that time is when you can buy a phone without waiting on line, which I refuse to do.

     

    You don't build manufacturing for your peak - that builds excess capacity that is inefficient.  

     

    It also has to be realized that these kinds of numbers were unheard of in past decades.   It took cable TV 144 months to achieve 1 million customers.  It took CD players 28 months to achieve 1 million units and even MP3 players took that same amount of time.   DVD took 21 months.  The original iPad took 28 days.    Now Apple is doing that in one day and the really amazing thing is that they're doing that in a saturated marketplace.  No one has ever had to build like this before (except perhaps for food products).  

  • Reply 34 of 66
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    One insider said 5.5-inch display yields are somewhere between 50 to 60 percent, meaning nearly half of all produced panels are scrapped as they do not meet Apple's strict standards. 

     

    Hey Samsung are you listening?!  You have a huge supply of leftover-but-adequate 5.5-inch screens available!  :D

  • Reply 35 of 66
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chabig View Post

     

    And what is that limit? If Apple needs to make more they will build production lines to do so.


     

    You obviously have no clue about manufacturing.

  • Reply 36 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post

     

     

    You obviously have no clue about manufacturing.


    And the personal attacks begin when logic fails. Would you care to explain why Apple can't increase production capacity? I'm sure there are more people here than just me that would like to be wowed by your business acumen.

  • Reply 37 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chabig View Post

     

    And the personal attacks begin when logic fails.


     

    Did somebody personally attack you?

     

    You obviously have no clue what is considered a personal attack either.

     

    (if it was a personal attack then the mods would have let me know.)

  • Reply 38 of 66
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,409member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    I don't understand why Apple does not start manufactering earlier.

     

    The main reason not to start early is to avoid leaks.  But who cares at this point?  You can stop the leaks so why not start production 3 months ahead of launch? 




    WTF?! Then the launch and sales wouldn't start until next year. So you would expect them not to ship anything and sit on millions of phones in inventory as they build for 3 more months, then launch??? Clearly you have never worked anyplace that actually made and/or sold products. Ugh!

  • Reply 39 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chabig View Post

     

    And the personal attacks begin when logic fails. Would you care to explain why Apple can't increase production capacity? I'm sure there are more people here than just me that would like to be wowed by your business acumen.


     

    So... the screen manufacturer has to increase production... but they have limited supply of materials.

     

    So... the chip manufacturer has to increase production... but they have a limited supply of materials.

     

    ... and on and on down the chain... until we come to Foxconn... who is waiting for parts... and then, even if they get them, which is doubtful, they have to ask themselves... do we spend billions ramping up production to well beyond are capacity to manage it, especially with the thought that all that money might be spent and then Apple's orders drop... and what do they do with the excess capacity during lower quarters... it costs money to have these lines sitting idle.

     

    As I mentioned... you just can't snap your fingers to get more production. It has become more and more obvious as Apple's demand for phones increases.

     

    It's a huge problem that Cook will have to figure out.

     

    Oh... and... by the way... there are probably more people wondering where the f*ck you are coming from...

  • Reply 40 of 66
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,409member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by boredumb View Post

     

    I'm a little curious about who is scrutinizing 140,000 or so screens a day and finding them wanting...

    how much of that can be automated, I wonder?  Seems like that might be a stricture in itself.




    It's all automated. The displays are scanned at high speeds looking for dead pixels and other issues.

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