Apple Inc. has asked suppliers to build at least as many of its next-generation iPhones this year as in 2021, counting on an affluent clientele and dwindling competition to weather a global electronics downturn.
Shares of Apple suppliers in Asia rose on the news. Taiwanese iPhone assembler Pegatron Corp. jumped as much as 3.6 per cent in its biggest gain in five weeks, while Japan Display Inc. logged its biggest two-month rise of 5 per cent. TDK Corp. rose as much 5.3 per cent and Murata Manufacturing Co. gained 3.7 per cent.
The world’s most valuable company has promised to be disciplined about spending as economic and geopolitical uncertainty clouds the outlook for 2022 and beyond. Bloomberg reported last month that Apple would slow spending and hiring across some of its teams in 2023.