Apple has not been spared the effects of the ongoing global component shortage, according to a new report in Nikkei. The publication says that some production of MacBooks and iPads has been delayed, with “a portion of component orders” pushed back to the second half of 2021.
The issue with MacBooks is said to be related to the ability to mount certain components on circuit boards ahead of the device’s assembly. Delayed iPad production, meanwhile, is apparently because of a shortage of displays and display components. Bloomberg reported earlier this week on how the squeezed supply of display drivers is causing a bottleneck across the entire tech industry.
Nikkei didn’t state which MacBook or iPad models would be affected, nor whether the postponed production was for existing devices or yet-to-be-announced updates. Apple is widely expected to launch new versions of the iPad Pro this year, as well as continuing the transition to deploying its own processors across the entire Mac line. Analyst Ming-chi Kuo recently said that a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a Mini LED display would go into mass production this month.
iPhone production is said to be unaffected so far, though two sources described component supply as “quite tight.” Nikkei says the shortage “remains a supply chain issue for Apple and has not yet had an impact on product availability.”
