Apple may delay iPhone 14 release due to Nancy Pelosi and conflict between China and Taiwan

Surely many people have heard about U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan and the resulting tensions with China. But how could this affect the smartphone market? It turns out it can.

What's wrong?

The current political situation could directly affect the production of new Apple smartphones and the release of the iPhone 14 range, which is expected in the fall. The fact is that Apple is a major customer of TSMC, and the company supplies chips to Pegatron in China, where the iPhones are assembled. After Pelosi's visit, the Communist Party of China introduced new rules banning any mention of "Taiwan" or "Republic of China" on shipping documents. This, in turn, means that some, if not all, of the equipment could be sent back to Taiwan and will delay production of the iPhone 14 as a result.

What also aggravates the situation is that Pegatron's vice chairman and top TSMC executives were spotted with Pelosi during her visit, so this could be the start of a fiercer trade war between the CCP and Taiwan, in which Apple and other American companies have been involved.

According to media reports, Apple is already negotiating with its Taiwanese partners and has demanded that all "Made in Taiwan" or "Republic of China" labels be removed or replaced. However, whether the smartphones will be ready by the deadline is still unclear.

Source: GSMArena