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iPhone 6 production by the numbers: 100 production lines, 200k workers, 540k phones a day

The WSJ revealed some iPhone 6 production numbers as Foxconn struggles to meet demand from pre-orders: the company is operating around 100 production lines around the clock, has 200,000 workers dedicated to production of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus – and is manufacturing 540,000 units a day.

“We have been churning out 140,000 iPhone 6 Plus and 400,000 iPhone 6 every day, the highest daily output ever, but the volume is still not enough to meet the preorders,” said a person familiar with the matter …

The split between the two models also provides some insight into what pre-order customers have ordered, suggesting that more than a third of orders are for the larger iPhone 6 Plus. The real number could be far higher, as production of the larger model is being held back by very poor yield rates for the 5.5-inch screen.

The output rate of 5.5-inch is still only around 50%-60%, which means display makers have to scrap almost half of the substandard output, said a person at a display component supplier. The person said the output rate of the 4.7-inch display is better at 85%.

The high failure rates reflect the complexity of the new screens, in which the touch sensors are integrated into the display itself rather than being a separate layer as on earlier iPhone models – part of the secret to the thinness and lightness of the new phones.

The far lower yield rates for the iPhone 6 Plus displays explains why they went to 3-4 week delivery almost immediately when pre-orders opened, and why Apple excluded the larger model from employee reservations.

Apple announced a record 4 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours, and both models have been receiving rave reviews in the tech press.

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Comments

  1. bloodymerzkizzoid - 10 years ago

    More waiting time for the iPhone Plus I guess.

  2. akismet-2b1c59dfb0fcdfd58252f9552f30afe6 - 10 years ago

    We need 400 000 IPhones 6 Plus units a day! But I would be enough with 140 000 iPhones 6 per day. ;)

  3. Sai Kishore - 10 years ago

    With so many phone being produced per day, still my iphone 6 is not shipped, :(

  4. Klaus Dietrich Lange - 10 years ago

    With so many iPhone 6 being produced per day, still not even an availability date for Malaysia :-(

  5. Robert Dufly - 10 years ago

    well at that rate it would take 148 days to reach 80 million….if they started earlier 4 million preorders would be nothing…. granted they are holding back for in-store sales…. but this does not seem like enough production…well, Duh, I guess, with that low yield…hope they fix it.

  6. jrox16 - 10 years ago

    The scrap rate of the screen is something people who complain about the prices should understand. Companies have to make enough money to cover such low yield rates on complex components.

  7. iphonenick (@iphonenick) - 10 years ago

    “iPhone 6 production by the numbers: 100 production lines, 200k workers, 540k phones a day”

    So each worker is responsible for 2.7 phones a day? I’ll never get mine at that rate.

    • iphonery - 10 years ago

      It’s like 2000 workers (in each production line) to complete a single iPhone. Each line producing 5400 phones a day. In an 8 hour shift, that’s 675 phones an hour.

  8. bluepacificrqf - 10 years ago

    Getting mine tomorrow (iPhone 6 Plus 128GB Silver). Got the FEDEX tracking number from Verizon Wireless today!

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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