800,000 fewer console shipments blamed on poor yield rates for camera module and disc drive
Microsoft has allegedly lowered its Xbox One shipment forecasts, according to a Chinese news website. Digitimes reports that the platform holder has lowered its 7m unit shipment forecast for 2013 to 6.2m units “due to poor yield rates of the device's camera module, optical disc drive and related assembly”.
Yield rates refer to the number of units that come off the production line that are of acceptable enough quality to sell. Typically, high-technology components (such as PC processors, for instance) can be harder to manufacture, resulting in fewer usable units emerging from factories.
Obviously, the lower the yield rate the smaller to margin for both the manufacturer and the company in question.