Heat Wave Could Delay The New Apple iPads: Kuo

China is currently experiencing a heat wave that has prompted local authorities to close factories in some areas. Therefore, insider Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the production of the new iPads, which will hit the market this fall, could be affected. We, therefore, expect a delay in their launch, in the same way as iPadOS 16.

The next iPad series isn’t making a lot of waves right now, but it does exist. Various information has already reached us about this, in particular about their technical sheet which should contain an A14 chip, 5G and a USB-C port. The release date will likely be in September along with the iPhone 14.

That is, if all goes well. Indeed, production at Apple suppliers’ Chinese factories is currently disrupted. As insider Ming-Chi Kuo reports on his Twitter account, the southwestern part of the country is currently experiencing a severe heat wave, which could lead to power outages as the region is primarily powered by hydroelectric dams.

iPad production was disrupted by the heat wave in China

To avoid network congestion, local authorities have decided to close several factories in the area, including certain sites of Foxconn and Compal, two Apple suppliers dedicated to manufacturing iPads. For now, the activity has been suspended until August 20. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, this delay will not be enough to really affect production.

However, if it continues or, worse, expands to other regions of China, the release of iPads is expected to be delayed. Apple has not yet communicated an official date about this, everything is still possible. In addition, the launch of iPadOS 16 has already been postponed. A similar decision for tablets would therefore not come as a surprise. It therefore remains to closely monitor the situation in China.