Apple

The ongoing chip shortage is finally affecting iPhone 13 Pro production

Yes, even Apple is now feeling chip shortage pains.

by
Joe Rice-Jones
October 13, 2021

Image: KnowTechie

If you were thinking about upgrading to the iPhone 13 and its sweet camera setup, you might have a hard time getting your hands on one. Bloomberg reports that Apple is about to cut its production targets by 10 million handsets, because of the pandemic’s ongoing effect on the availability of electronic chips.

It seems that the bullish projections that led Apple to increase production targets by 20 percent earlier this year are no longer accurate. That increase set a production target of 90 million iPhones this year, but now Apple is about to unwind most of that change and set a more attainable 80 million as the target.

The main bottleneck for Apple right now is its chip suppliers, giants of industry like Broadcom and Texas Instruments. Those companies haven’t been able to supply enough units for any of their customers, so Apple is finally feeling the pinch of the pandemic. Any chip orders could take up to 21.7 weeks to fulfill, playing havoc with tight production schedules.

Apple seems to be focusing on volume sales for the base model iPhone 13 right now. That means you might have a wait if you order the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, and some Apple stores even have certain configurations as “unavailable.”

Last year, the iPhone 12 faced similar delays with its production schedules. With the pandemic having no end in sight, consumers are going to have to face the new reality of delays, and perhaps rethink the “gotta have it yesterday” culture that modern capitalism has wrought.

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