Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) may face supply bottlenecks for its foldable iPhone: daily production is only hundreds of units, and it may be "hard to come by" in the initial launch period.

According to reports on Friday, Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) is expected to face supply constraints for its upcoming foldable iPhone, with initial daily production only reaching hundreds of units. The report cites insiders suggesting that this is mainly due to Apple Inc.s extremely stringent quality control standards for the product. Apple Inc. is working collaboratively with supply chain partners to gradually increase production capacity. As a result of this news, Apple Inc.s stock price fell slightly by 0.5% during pre-market trading on Friday. As of the time of publication, Apple Inc. has not made any formal response regarding this matter. Analyst: Innovative manufacturing challenges capacity, price may reach $2,500 Renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities pointed out back in July that the early scale of the foldable iPhones release may be limited due to manufacturing challenges brought on by several technological innovations. His latest research report indicates that the assembly shipment volume of the foldable iPhone is expected to be around 7 to 8 million units in the second half of 2026, with shipments in the third quarter anticipated to be approximately 500,000 to 1 million units. In comparison, the combined shipment volume of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max during the same period is expected to reach between 20 million to 22 million units. In terms of pricing, Kuo expects the starting price for the foldable iPhone to be in the range of $2,300 to $2,500, significantly exceeding the current flagship models and positioning it in the ultra-high-end market. As the launch event approaches: the new CEO's debut is imminent, with multiple new products set to be unveiled According to the schedule previously announced by Apple Inc., the foldable iPhone is expected to officially debut next Wednesday (in the early hours of September 10 Beijing time) at Apple Inc.s fall product launch event. This will be the first major product launch conducted by the new CEO John Ternus, drawing significant market attention. In addition to the foldable iPhone, the event is also expected to feature the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max series, the new generation of Apple Watch, and updates to AirPods among other hardware announcements. The foldable phone market has been gaining momentum in recent years, with manufacturers like Samsung and Huawei having launched multiple generations of products. Apple Inc.s entry into this sector is viewed as an important milestone in its foray into the ultra-high-end niche market, but the reality of limited initial capacity also means that the product may be hard to come by in the early stages of its launch, with the secondary market premium likely to be significantly higher than that of conventional models. Analysts believe that while Apple Inc.'s pursuit of quality may delay the pace of production ramp-up, it will ultimately help ensure user experience and brand reputation in the long run, laying the groundwork for future iterations of the foldable product line. Investors will closely monitor for further information regarding pricing, supply timelines, and production ramp-up plans at next Wednesday's launch event.