Why is Apple having such a hard time keeping up with the demand for the Apple Watch? Could it be that they are swarmed with orders? Possibly. Could it also be that they’re working on a build-to-order system to prevent overproduction? That could be it too, but according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the issue with Apple’s slow rollout of the Apple Watch is due to a faulty component.
The culprit in question is that of the taptic engine which is the component used inside the device to give users that buzzing sensation on their wrists whenever they receive a notification. That being said, it seems that it was only after mass production of the Apple Watch that it was discovered during reliability testing that the taptic engines began to break down over time which is obviously not a good thing after you’ve spent at least $350 on the device.
However before you panic and think that maybe your device might be one of the affected units, you can rest assured that chances of that are slim. Apple apparently believes that the units they have shipped out do not contain the defective unit so you guys should be good for now, hopefully. In the meantime Apple is said to have moved production to Nidec, a Japan-based manufacturer whose units did not display the defect.
Previously some of the components were manufactured in part by AAC Technologies based out of China. However it has been noted that because Nidec will need some time to increase its production to keep up with demand, this also means that shipping times are not likely to see huge improvements anytime soon, although so far they have been improving.
[Image credit – iFixit]
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