iPhone 5 scratching issues slowing handset production

Apple’s fight to get the iPhone 5 into customer’s hands is continuing to prove troublesome.

It has already had to deal with the iOS 6 Maps fiasco and potential issues with its camera, and now early claims of scratched casing are leading to production issues.

Bloomberg reports that senior Apple management has already chastised Foxconn executives for an unacceptably high number of units arriving with customers with scratches already found on the casing.

Apple has publicly insisted that all aluminium products are prone to scratching, though it seems the issue has caused anger behind the scenes.

As a result stricter benchmarks have been implemented, putting yet more strain on the already squeezes production schedules. It is speculated that this, and other supply issues, have cost upwards of $60bn since the iPhone 5 debuted last month.

It should be noted that iPhone 5 enjoyed record sales in its first week on the market, though that hasn’t stopped Apple’s once-impervious slipping almost nine per cent in the last month.