Apple renews relations with shunned supplier Pegatron for iPhone 13 mini
A new report from tech news site DigiTimes Asia (shared by MacRumors) has revealed that Apple will be renewing its business relations with Pegatron—Taiwan's second-largest contract electronics manufacturer—for assembly of this year's upcoming iPhone 13 mini.
Apple had suspended future contracts with Pegatron last year, when it was discovered that the supplier was falsifying documents and taking extreme measures to cover up the fact that there were students laboring in the factory in conditions that violated Apple's Supplier Code of Conduct.
These students were being purposefully misclassified as non-students, while the CoC stipulates that they be clearly identified as such.
The CoC also stipulates that the "supplier shall not require juvenile workers to work overtime or perform nighttime work," and students in Pegatron were doing both, whether voluntarily or not.
When this was discovered, Apple immediately put a stop to the violations, made sure that the students were properly compensated, and placed the company on probation—despite the fact that at the time, Pegatron was Apple's second-largest iPhone part supplier.
It would seem that Pegatron has corrected its ways, as it has now been confirmed to be joining fellow Taiwanese supplier Foxconn for the upcoming assembly of Apple's iPhone 13 mini, expected this fall/winter.
Pegatron has obtained orders for the upcoming 5.4-inch iPhone model, as well as a portion of orders for another upcoming iPhone model that will feature a 6.1-inch display, according to market sources. —DigiTimes Asia
The iPhone 13 mini may well turn out to be the last of its kind, if top Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's predictions prove correct. The iPhone 12 mini has done quite poorly in terms of sales so far, with the powerful but diminutive handset accounting for only four to six percent of sales in the iPhone 12 series.
If the trend continues with the iPhone 13, we likely won't be seeing any more of Apple's iconic mini flagship powerhouses in the years to come.
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