Apple’s iPhone 5 supply shortfall is being exacerbated by a quality-control crackdown at Foxconn Technology Group that’s designed to cut the number of devices shipped with nicks and scratches, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The scrapes, which sparked complaints with the iPhone’s debut last month, are due to Apple’s decision to use a type of aluminum that makes the smartphone thinner and lighter. Senior Apple managers told executives at Foxconn near the end of September to tighten production standards, said the person, who asked not to be named because the matter was private. The slowdown is heightening supply concerns that have cost Apple about $60 billion in market value since the iPhone debut. While Apple sold a record 5 million iPhone 5s the first weekend the device was on sale, the tally would have been higher if not for supply constraints, the company said.
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