The crushing demand for the iPhone 5 has proven to be a bridge too far for Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn, as it continues to struggle to meet demand for the popular device.
Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou admitted on Wednesday that his company is finding it difficult to meet the significant demand for Apple’s iPhone 5, according to a report from Reuters. Foxconn is Apple’s primary partner for assembly of a number of its devices, including the iPhone.
Gou reportedly said that it isn’t easy to make the iPhone 5, and that the company is falling short of “meeting the huge demand.”
Sales of the iPhone 5 have been limited by the short supply ever since the device launched in September. Apple has said that the company has been “completely blown away” by demand for the device.
The in-cell touch panel, and the aluminum chassis that are two new features of the device are said to have posed quality control issues when building the device. An unnamed Foxconn source said in October that the iPhone 5 is “the most difficult device” the company has ever assembled.
When asked about rumors that surfaced a month ago saying Foxconn had expanded production to a subsidiary known as Foxconn International Holding in an attempt to boost production, Gou declined to comment.
