IPhone Pro buyers face 37-day wait times during holiday season

According to delivery data compiled by Counterpoint Research, customers can expect to wait up to 37 days after placing an order for the iPhone 14 Pro.

Analysts have indicated that delivery times for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max across the country are “increasing significantly” due to growing unrest at a key factory in China. Bloomberg reported.

A representative who answered Apple’s customer service hotline advised placing iPhone orders immediately if considering them as holiday gifts. Supplies of the Premium Pro Max are very limited.

“You have to order it honestly. It’s like this all over the country,” the representative said. “The 14 Pro Max is very hard to find in stores. There’s no way to get them earlier, and that’s the current availability at this point.

“Nationwide, they’ve sold out in the last week and a half, probably,” the rep added.

When The Post tested a sample order at Apple’s online store from Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, the “express delivery” option for both the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max showed an estimated arrival date of Dec. 29 – 30 days later. The same result was shown for the sample order of Los Angeles and Chicago zip codes.

Trying to buy an iPhone in a Manhattan store is unlikely to yield the best results. The rep said only one of the 12 stores closest to the midtown zip code carries the Pro Max.

Post has reached out to Apple for further comment on the situation.

Apple’s base iPhone 14 model has the shortest delivery times, available by Thursday, according to the company’s website. The Pro models have an improved set of features like better camera setup, larger size and longer battery life.

Workers struggle against wages and cruelty Covid-19 lockdowns have increased Violence at the plant in recent weeks. The facility is operated by Taiwan-based Foxconn, Apple’s partner and the main manufacturer of iPhones.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that the company was expected to produce six million fewer iPhone Pros than previously expected due to facility unrest. A source said production could suffer further if the COVID-19 lockdowns continue.

Separately, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives estimates that Apple has a significant iPhone shortage, which could take away at least 5% of units in the quarter and possibly up to 10% in China in the next few weeks around Foxconn production and protests.