Apple Reportedly Suspends MacBook Air Supplier Due to 'Quality Issues'
Apple has suspended MacBook bearing supplier Kersen's production for inspection purposes due to "quality issues," and shifted orders to other suppliers through the end of the year, according to a report today from Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.
The report said the suspension came after Apple discovered a high defect rate with the Chinese supplier's bearings in August. The bearings are used in previous-generation MacBook Air models, rather than the latest models, according to the report.
None of the MacBook Air models with defective bearings reached the market, the report added:
Industry insiders indicate that the defects were present from the beginning, but Apple only detected them during destructive testing later in the process. A subsequent full batch inspection revealed a high defect rate. Fortunately, none of the faulty products have reached the market. However, bearing defects typically take one to two years of use before becoming noticeable to consumers.
It is unclear exactly which component the report is referring to.
The report cites industry sources who believe that Apple's alleged "aggressive pricing tactics" with component vendors increases the risk of quality issues.
Popular Stories
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 could feature a complete redesign and blood pressure monitoring, according to DigiTimes.
Apple will apparently add a new high blood pressure notification feature to the Apple Watch that uses the optical heart-rate sensor on the back of the device to analyze how blood vessels respond to each heartbeat, sending alerts when an abnormal pattern is detected. The feature is ...
During WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe would be the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs.
macOS 27 will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a MacBook Neo with an A18 Pro chip in order to install the software update. Apple will unveil macOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote this Monday, June 8, and the...
On an earnings call in late April, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo was "off the charts," and the popularity of the laptop has reportedly led the company to significantly boost production.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this week said he believes that MacBook Neo shipments to Apple were doubled from an initial target of 5 million units to 10...
