It’s no secret that almost every tech company on earth is battling against the chip shortage. Apple is no exception with its M2 chip. And the iPhone 14 has analysts in a spin, contradicting each day by day. Let’s make some sense of this.
M2 Chip Shortages
At WWDC 2022, Apple announced the all-new MacBook Air with an M2 chip. The M2 chip is the first chip in the second generation of Apple Silicon. It offers improved performance, graphics and power efficiency over its predecessor, the M1. The problem is getting one.
Orders for a base spec MacBook Air with 256GB of storage and 8GB of unified memory are currently a 2-3 week wait. The delays vary across configurations and are being compounded by Apple’s annual “Back to School” promotion.
Delays for Apple products are nothing new of course. Demand often outstrips supply when a new product launch occurs and this year is no different. But it isn’t great for Apple which is riding a wave of hype for Apple Silicon.
Apple’s custom silicon has unlocked new features and new designs that just weren’t possible with Intels thermally constrained chips. The move to custom silicon has seen Mac sales reach new heights. Though it isn’t clear just how high sales might be able to reach if only Apple could get enough chips.
Analysts are confused about the iPhone 14
Will they? Won’t they? It seems like every day one supply chain analyst contradicts another. As get closer to the launch of the iPhone 14, it seems like everyone is after their 5 minutes of fame by making an accurate prediction. Of course, it won’t be possible to verify any rumours until Apple officially announces the product in September.
Just in the past 24 hours, there has been back and forth over the base storage capacity of the iPhone 14. Some analysts are claiming the device will come with 256GB as standard, contributing to a price increase. Others claim that isn’t the case and the iPhone 14 will ship with 128GB of storage in the base spec.
The AppleTLDR take
Making predictions from Apple’s supply chain is far from a precise science. The company is famously tight-lipped about future products. Furthermore, Apple takes many precautions to prevent leaks. Not that it stops all of them, far from it. But given that Apple also plants information honey traps to catch unsuspecting leakers, it isn’t official until it’s on Apple.com.
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