Apple expects iPad and Mac shortage in H2 2021

Apple expects to encounter difficulties in the production of iPads and Macs. Like all other manufacturers, the Cupertino giant is not immune to the silicon crisis. Deprived of computer chips in sufficient quantity, Apple warns investors and customers: the supply of iPad and Mac promises to be very limited for the second half of 2021.

A major shortage of semiconductors is hitting the entire industry. Weakened by the health measures against the coronavirus, the production lines of many component manufacturers are unable to meet the strong demand.

In these difficult conditions, Apple expects iPad and Mac shortage, reports MacRumors. When announcing his quarterly results, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, confirmed the worst fears of analysts and investors.“These shortages mainly affect iPad and Mac. We expect supply to be limited, not demand ” explains Tim Cook, in response to an analyst.

Chip shortage to cripple iPad and Mac production

A Nikkei report also says that Macbook and iPad production has already fallen behind schedule. Under these conditions, the new iPad Pro, whose release on the market is scheduled for Friday, April 30, 2021, may quickly end up out of stock. Anticipating a titanic demand as soon as pre-orders opened, Apple asked TSMC to manufacture more M1 chips.

Asked by an analyst, Tim Cook says he does not know when the supply difficulties will be resolved : “In order to answer this question accurately, we would need to know the real demand of each firm and how that will change over the next few months, so it is difficult to give a good answer. […] We will do our best, that’s what I can tell you ”. Foxconn, a subcontractor of Apple, in any case expects the chip shortage to continue until 2022.

This complicated context should moreover penalize the company’s future financial results. Luca Maestri, Apple’s chief financial officer, estimates the chip shortage is expected to cost the group $ 3-4 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2021.

Source: MacRumors