SKT Direct Mall iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max Sold Out
KT and LGU+ Also Face Purchase Difficulties
Missed CSAT Effect, Year-End Demand Uncertain
From the left, T Direct Shop, KT Shop, Uplus.com. Photo by Telecommunications 3 Companies' Homepage Capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] The supply shortage of the iPhone 14 has worsened as shipments sharply declined due to protests at Foxconn's factory in Zhengzhou, China, the world's largest iPhone production base. The three major telecom companies have also sold out all their inventory and stopped accepting orders, declaring a "complete sellout."
According to industry sources on the 28th, as of that morning, all colors and capacities of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max were sold out at SK Telecom's T Direct Shop. Some SK Telecom distribution channels are selling pre-secured stock, but it is difficult to purchase the products through the online mall.
KT and LG Uplus are flexibly selling products both online and offline depending on supply status, but as of that morning, most products on their official online malls were sold out. The KT iPhone 14 Pro Silver is completely sold out, and other colors only have 128GB and 256GB capacities left. The iPhone 14 Pro Max Gold is sold out in all capacities, and other colors only have 128GB stock available.
LG Uplus has sold out all 1TB models of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max; only the Pro Max 128GB Space Black and Pro Max 512GB Silver remain in stock. Even these are being shipped sequentially as stock arrives due to supply shortages. The Apple official website shows the same situation. Most iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models ordered on this day will only be delivered on December 27, a month later. On the other hand, the base iPhone 14 and Plus models, which are less popular domestically, are still available for purchase.
Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory in Henan Province, China, which handles 85% of the global iPhone 14 Pro series shipments, has been experiencing a prolonged supply shortage of the iPhone 14 Pro series worldwide, including South Korea, due to a large-scale lockdown caused by the spread of COVID-19, employee escapes, and resulting labor disputes lasting over a month. Taiwan's Central News Agency recently reported that 30,000 employees have left Foxconn, and shipments are expected to decrease by an additional 30% beyond initial estimates.
The fourth quarter is the period when sales of new iPhone models released in October surge domestically. According to Counterpoint Research, iPhone's market share in the Korean smartphone market was only 12% in the third quarter last year but jumped significantly by 20 percentage points to 32% in the fourth quarter. However, this year, the supply shortage makes such growth uncertain.
The telecom industry is concerned that the iPhone sellout, especially among teenagers who have just finished the college entrance exam and are the most enthusiastic buyers, may cause them to miss out on the year-end sales boom. A telecom industry official said, "There is no stock worldwide, so we are not in a position to accept additional orders," adding, "Dealers are requesting us to secure stock, but production itself has decreased, making it difficult to resolve."
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