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Apple has been working to ramp up production of the ever-popular AirPods and AirPods Pro, and its efforts to meet supply/demand balance could be in jeopardy due to the coronavirus outbreak in China.

According to Nikkei, Apple's major AirPods suppliers Luxshare-ICT, Goertek, and Inventec have been shut down since the beginning of the Lunar New Year and even when work on AirPods resumes next Monday, components could be in short supply because factories all across China have been shuttered due to virus fears.

airpodsprodesigncase.jpg

The AirPods manufacturers have "at most" two weeks worth of materials and components needed for AirPods assembly, and for fresh supplies, they will need to wait for component makers in China to restart operations. Given current conditions, product utilization rates could reach just 50 percent when work on the AirPods resumes.

A person who spoke to Nikkei says that it's unclear if parts suppliers in China will be able to "smoothly resume work" to create enough parts for assembly. "We really have to wait and see how things play out next week. If the assemblers could not get enough supply of parts in two weeks, it will be a big problem," said the source.

Travel restrictions from certain regions in China are likely to create labor shortages at factories, and companies are balancing restarting production while also dealing with fears an employee could bring the virus back to the factory. Foxconn, for example, has already said that workers returning from the Henan province will be sequestered for two weeks, while other staff will be isolated for a week.

Apple was aiming to produce up to 45 million AirPods units in the first half of 2020, but the current AirPods stock is running low and is reserved for Apple's stores. Right now, the regular AirPods remain in stock, but the AirPods Pro are still backordered, as they have been since launch.

Article Link: AirPods and AirPods Pro Manufacturing Could Be Impacted by Coronavirus, Leading to Greater Supply Shortages
 
So essentially I should order the new AirPods sooner rather than later? My original AirPods are running on fumes now as they barely hold a charge.
 
  • Wow
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I'm starting to wonder how legit some of these stories are. They keep coming out, wave after wave, each one often causing AAPL stock to go down, then the stock goes back up shortly after.

It just smells like market manipulation to me. We don't really know what's going on over there, and these stories might be being timed to move stocks for conveniently timed buys and sells.
 
I'm starting to wonder how legit some of these stories are. They keep coming out, wave after wave, each one often causing AAPL stock to go down, then the stock goes back up shortly after.

It just smells like market manipulation to me. We don't really know what's going on over there, and these stories might be being timed to move stocks for conveniently timed buys and sells.

AirPods and AirPods Pro have a 5-6 week lead time from the factory, according to the Apple Online Store. It's pretty legit.
 
If thats the case, why not just get the wired ones? Cheaper and last longer. Less waste also


So essentially I should order the new AirPods sooner rather than later? My original AirPods are running on fumes now as they barely hold a charge.
 
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I'd like some AirPods pro's - But I can wait as I value lives over my short-term needs.
You can simultaneously have concern for coronavirus issues and business logistic issues.
This is all about keeping things in proper perspective. Thank you for being a voice of common sense in a world that seems to be ongoing chaos. Well said.
That's not well said at all imo. It's binary thinking. It's entirely possible to care about more than one thing. It's entirely possible to care about, and be aware of more than one aspect of the same thing. The coronavirus affects more than just individual lives. It also affects different aspects of how we live. Acknowledging one aspect does not diminish others.
 
My brother and I manufacture scientific toys in China, albeit on a microscopic scale compared to Apple's AirPod volume... but our factory is 1500km away from Wuhan, and has been shuttered for 2 weeks - the local post offices are closed there. By all accounts, it's far worse on the ground than what we're getting from the media.
 
My brother and I manufacture scientific toys in China, albeit on a microscopic scale compared to Apple's AirPod volume... but our factory is 1500km away from Wuhan, and has been shuttered for 2 weeks - the local post offices are closed there. By all accounts, it's far worse on the ground than what we're getting from the media.

Chinese New Year started on January 25. The festival lasts through February 8.

Unless you're willing to pay 2-3x normal rates, most people aren't working.
 
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My brother and I manufacture scientific toys in China, albeit on a microscopic scale compared to Apple's AirPod volume... but our factory is 1500km away from Wuhan, and has been shuttered for 2 weeks - the local post offices are closed there. By all accounts, it's far worse on the ground than what we're getting from the media.
Have been working with a Chinese owned company this week and they say the very same thing. Much worse that any news report is letting on and the death toll much, much higher.
 
Chinese New Year started on January 25. The festival lasts through February 8.

Unless you're willing to pay 2-3x normal rates, most people aren't working.
😯

That's totally the reason....... 😂
 
Have been working with a Chinese owned company this week and they say the very same thing. Much worse that any news report is letting on and the death toll much, much higher.
Are you saying the government in China can’t be trusted to accurately report when there’s bad news? I’m shocked.
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People are dying and here we worry about the inconvenience of waiting extended periods for AirPods.
Speak for yourself. We’re worried about how many people are sick and how lethal this Coronavirus is compared to the seasonal flu.
 
Are the pros really hard to obtain? I ordered them right away.

I used my pros for the first time traveling this week. I was very impressed.

Probably they were already on stock.

Would you mind giving more information regarding how confortable they are? Everybody agrees they sound great, but I have used other gummy earpods in the past and they are very unconfortable to use.
 
AirPod virus-free? (Corona). Transmission by micro airdroplets. Could touch transmit? Could a 1 nanometer virus size bypass garment barrier and live indefinitely on or inside a non-organic surface, then transfer through moisture of ear? Not expecting any answers.
 
AirPod virus-free? (Corona). Transmission by micro airdroplets. Could touch transmit? Could a 1 nanometer virus size bypass garment barrier and live indefinitely on or inside a non-organic surface, then transfer through moisture of ear? Not expecting any answers.

Apple wants to know your location.

Wait, they already do.
 
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