Apple iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max: If you are planning to buy the latest iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max, we have bad news for you! The Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has announced it expects lower shipments than it previously anticipated, and the customers will have to wait longer to receive their new devices.

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"COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China. The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity. As we have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prioritising the health and safety of the workers in our supply chain," the company said in a statement. 

"We continue to see strong demand for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. However, we now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated and customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products. We are working closely with our supplier to return to normal production levels while ensuring the health and safety of every worker," Apple  added.

Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn's main Zhengzhou plant, which employs about 200,000 people, was hit by the stringent curbs after an outbreak at the factory, which led the city of about 10 million people locked down as a result. Foxconn is working to boost ‌iPhone‌ production at another factory in Shenzhen city to make up for the shortfall, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. A second person familiar with the situation said many workers remained at the Zhengzhou plant and that production was continuing.

iPhone 14 Pro models demand has already exceeded its capacity to produce the new handsets. In a note to investors, Analyst David Vogt from investment bank UBS examined wait times for Apple's Pro range of smartphones using information that tracked iPhone availability across 30 countries, IANS reported. According to the report, the waiting time for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max had risen by five to 25 days each in the US.