Apple returns 8 million iPhones

iPhone /

While many have likely returned a cell phone or other device in their time, they probably haven't returned 8 million. According to a report from China Business, Apple returned somewhere between 5 and 8 million iPhone devices to manufacturer Foxconn after discovering the “appearance of substandard or dysfunctional problems.”

Mashable's Bryan M. Wolfe detailed that the report (which was in Chinese) did not provide details of the specific problems of the iPhones or which models were returned.

“If the batch was made up of existing models, such as the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, this could eventually show up as a hole in Apple's supply chain,” Wolfe wrote. “However, if these defective models were in fact 'iPhone 5S' models, Apple may be forced to delay the launch of its newest handset.”

Wolfe also explained that reports came out earlier this month that Foxconn had officially began production of the iPhone 5S, leading many to speculate that the returned devices were the upcoming models. If this is the case, Apple's release of the seventh-generation iPhone – currently expected to be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June – could be delayed.

More information revealed
In a recent ZDNet article, contributor Liu Jiayi shared extra information about this massive return, explaining that the iPhone devices' quality of workmanship was below the 90 percent standard agreed upon between Apple and the Foxconn manufacturing plant. Unnamed sources with close connections to the Chinese iPhone parts supplier noted that the workmanship quality of the returned devices was just at 80 percent, requiring that the manufacturer swallow the cost of fixing the phones.

However, another spokesperson from Hon Hai, parent company of Foxconn, denied the report altogether, ZDNet reported.

“It's not true. There is no such incident where 5 million iPhones were returned to Foxconn, and thus we don't have to pay billions of yuan,” the spokesperson said, according to ZDNet. “The quality rate is at [a] normal level. But we are very cautious when making the figure public, as it will affect the customer.”

Whether Foxconn is responsible for financing the repair of 8 million devices is still in question; however, if your iPhone needs to be fixed, with iResQ's iPhone repair services, you can rest assured that you won't need to spend 1.6 billion yuan.  Our iPhone repair services are both fast and affordable.

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