iPhone 15 Pro Max: New zoom lens found to be culprit in 2023 shipping delay

Apple touts its new 15 Pro Max as the "ultimate iPhone", having a new periscope tetraprism lens as well as the titanium alloy frame, Action Button and USB-C 3.0 port of the smaller Pro model. However, it, like the rest of its new series, is still only available via pre-order on the 7th day after its launch. 

One reason for this is the Pro Max' fancy new camera, which is current proving a "significant supply bottleneck", according to Ming-Chi Kuo. The widely-regarded TF International analyst asserts that Apple has even had to change the specifications sent to its "exclusive" supplier, Largan, to try and get shipments flowing again.

Largan has responded with increased production and an improved yield (the ratio of lenses that turned out "defective" to those that did not, in this case) - which has allowed the company to raise the price of each individual tetraprism module "by more than 20%".

Then again, Apple might not care, particularly as 15 Pro Max demand is now said to outstrip that for the Pro, whereas the opposite has been the case in previous generations. This might be due in part to its top-end cameras, and may, indeed, also be driven by increased anticipation caused by the 10-day gap between launch and release. All in all, the long-awaited switch to on-trend zoom might pay off for Apple in the end.