As first reported by MacRumors, Apple is having a really hard time trying to meet the demand for the new 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro. A quick peruse of the online store reveals multi-week shipping dates for most models. In many ways this is unsurprising. The all-new design focuses on features that professionals care about such as a wide range of ports, the reintroduction of MagSafe, a 120hz ProMotion display with mini LED technology and killer performance.
Unfortunately for Apple, the demand vs supply issue is being compounded by the global semiconductor shortages. Put simply, Apple can’t get the chips for these new machines. Not in the volumes it needs at least. The new chips in the MacBook Pro are extremely impressive to be certain but they aren’t much use if Apple can’t produce them fast enough. Not that it’s Apple’s fault. The semiconductor shortage is affecting all technology companies and beyond. The pandemic while easing in developed countries is still very much a threat in developing countries. Many of which manufactures Apple’s chips. It’s no wonder the tech giant is having sourcing issues in the supply chain.
“The supply constraints were driven by the industry wide chip shortages that have been talked about a lot, and COVID-related manufacturing disruptions in Southeast Asia.”
Tim Cook via CNBC
Apple lost 6 Billion dollars in Q4 2021 due to supply chain issues. As it happens the company will report its Q1 2022 results on the 27th of January. That should give us a clearer idea of just how strong demand is. And it should also provide insight into how big an impact the production issues are having on bottom lines and the wait time for customers.
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