One of the reasons why the iPhone 5 is in short supply is due to Apple supplier Foxconn stating that the smartphone is the "most difficult device" it has ever assembled.
An unnamed official told the Wall Street Journal that the design process involved with making the handset light and thin is "very complicated." As well as calling the iPhone "the most difficult device that Foxconn has ever assembled," the official stressed that its factory employees are apparently still learning how to build the smartphone.
He did, however, note that workers are getting better at assembling the phone. "Practice makes perfect," he said.
The official also discussed widespread reports pertaining to the iPhone 5 being vulnerable to scratches. He explained that the new coating utilized on the iPhone 5 is more prone to scratches, but the supplier is undergoing a process to check for such damage.
Apple Senior Marketing VP Phil Schiller had called the scratches "normal," telling one owner of the recently released phone that "any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color."
Due to the supply shortage of the device, analysts have lowered their forecasts for iPhone sales, as well as stressing that it'll have a negative impact on Apple's quarterly financial results, which will be revealed on October 25.
