If you have even just glanced at the tech section of your favorite news feed, you have seen numerous articles regarding the Apple Watch. Weeks before the launch of the Apple Watch, rumors and stories flooded media outlets. While most of the news has been relatively good, today the Wall Street Journal is leading us to believe that the delay in Apple Watch shipments might be more than just customer demand.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a mechanical piece created by Chinese manufacture AAC Technologies has been found to be faulty over time. The faulty piece is called the “taptic engine”, and is used in notifications to simulate the feeling of being tapped on the wrist. This small piece is also used to send the feeling of a heartbeat to others who have an Apple Watch.
It appears that Apple is no longer using the components created by AAC Technologies, and instead has switched to Nidec Corp, a Japan based supplier to create the taptic engine. Because of this change, buyers will most likely see additional delays in receiving their much-anticipated Apple Watches.
While Apple did neither confirm nor deny the faulty equipment, they did make a statement to the Wall Street Journal:
Our team is working to fill orders as quickly as possible based on available supply and the order in which they were received. We know many customers are still facing long lead times and we appreciate their patience.
Why thank you, Apple, for providing such clarity as to why customers are waiting so long to receive their Apple Watch.
As we know, the Apple Watch has been a hot product, and the waiting list is getting longer. If buyers find that their watch was created with faulty parts, we will have a large number of frustrated and unhappy Apple customers (I did not think they existed!). If in fact Apple is aware of a widespread issue with their already shipped watches, the company would likely have a recall the watches that have been sold and replace them with new watches that have more sustainable parts. No one wants to spend $15,000 on a watch only to have it break after three months. (Beyonce’s will be the first to go, just watch. ) It will be interesting to see what move Apple makes. Will they provide new watches as the faulty ones break? Or will they have a recall and provide new watches before other buyers get theirs? Either way, this could be the beginning of zombie apocalypse level outcry if what the Wall Street Journal is reporting is true.
What are your thoughts? If Apple did have faulty parts in the Watches created by AAC Technologies, should/will Apple recall their watches? Or will they replace the watches as they break over time? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.