Apple's problem in meeting iPhone 5 demand is being exacerbated by a quality-control crackdown at China's Foxconn manufacturing plant that’s designed to cut the number of devices shipped with nicks and scratches, reports "Bloomberg" (http://macte.ch/uxm8m), quoting an unnamed "person familiar with the matter."

The scrapes, which sparked complaints with the iPhone’s debut last month, are due to Apple’s decision to use a type of aluminum that helps make the smartphone thinner and lighter. Senior Apple managers told executives at Foxconn near the end of September to tighten production standards, according to "Bloomberg."

The slowdown is heightening supply concerns that have cost Apple about $60 billion in market value since the iPhone debut -- "a shortcoming of the drive to imbue products with qualities that make them alluring yet more difficult to manufacture," the article adds.