iPhone 14 camera production problems prompt manufacturing changes for Apple

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple's iPhone 14 is suffering from manufacturing issues, according to a new report. Specifically, the rear lenses built by Genius are said to be experiencing "coating crack," with another supplier picking up the slack.

Writing to Twitter, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that his "latest survey indicates one of Genius's iPhone 14 rear lenses likely suffered from coating-crack quality issues." As a result, around 10 million lens orders have now been switched away from Genius with Largan picking up the slack.

(1/2)One more quality issue. My latest survey indicates one of Genius's iPhone 14 rear lenses likely suffered from coating-crack (膜裂) quality issues. Apple had transferred about 10 million lens orders to Largan from Genius to avoid affecting iPhone 14 shipments. https://t.co/CsQtmHLZjyJuly 27, 2022

While the change in supplier is surely a move that Apple would have preferred to avoid, it isn't thought that the switch will impact iPhone 14 availability come launch time. Kuo goes on to say that the "impact on iPhone 14 shipments can almost be ignored because Largan can fill the supply gap well."

New iPhones are just around the corner

Apple is expected to release its new wave of iPhones in or around September time, the same period when it will also announce the new Apple Watch Series 8 hardware. That's expected to be joined by a new rugged Apple Watch, a device that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is calling Apple Watch Pro.

As for iPhone 14, four new handsets are set to go on sale with 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models launching alongside 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max devices. Only those with the Pro designation are expected to benefit from new 48-megapixel cameras as well as an updated chip — iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max are thought to use the current A15 Bionic, while the Pro variants should use new A16 silicon if rumors are to be believed. That alone should make those the best iPhones for gamers thanks to increased horsepower and graphical prowess.

While the latest camera news could be a supply concern, Kuo's bullish outlook is promising. However, Apple does tend to struggle to keep new iPhones in stock at launch time, something that could be worsened by ongoing worldwide semiconductor shortages. Demand could yet be tempered by the current economic situation around the glove, however.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.