14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is on track to sell tens of millions of iPhone 5c units, despite rumors that there is little to no demand for the cheaper handset. Moreover, word on the streets of China is that assembler Wistron is actually struggling to meet Apple’s yield requirements.
Taiwanese media revealed earlier this week that Wistron, which signed with Apple to become a supply chain partner in the second half of 2014, was handling iPhone 5c assembly.
Sales to hit 26M units, yield rates still poor
Industry sources cited by DigiTimes (via the Chinese-language Economic Daily News) said that Wistron had shipped 4.2 million units in the third quarter. Analysts watching the market up close “showed that the shipments have a chance to hit 26 million units in 2015, up significantly from 15 million units in 2014,” according to the two sources.
It is also being said that Wistron currently “still has a weak yield rate for its iPhone 5c manufacturing” but that the assembler is improving its manufacturing processes as time passes. Generally (though not always), yield rates are calculated as weak when demand is high.
To be (dis)continued
Other sources from the Far East reported this week that Apple had plans to discontinue the plastic-built handset. The California company reportedly informed Foxconn and Wistron that it would halt iPhone 5c orders in 2015.
However, it is also worth noting that 2015 would have marked the death of the 5c anyway. As the low-end version of the expensive smartphone line, it will be the first to be ditched as Apple introduces a new range of iPhones, moving the 5s and the 6 down a rank each. But it might need to phase out the plastic phone earlier, should demand projections be exaggerated.
Some specs
iPhone 5c, for those who haven’t made acquaintance with the handset so far, is but a repacked iPhone 5 featuring a polycarbonate enclosure with a distinct look and feel. It’s essentially a plastic shell, but the build quality is far superior to most handsets out there. The quality of the display is also high, and the handset can run iOS 8 with no problems whatsoever.
iPhone 5c is offered free of charge with a two-year contract. Apple was able to drop the price to $0 by stripping the phone of some storage capacity. Currently, the only configuration available is an 8GB model. Color choices include yellow, blue, pink, green, and white.
