Delayed delivery of components by suppliers makes Apple tremble: the number of available iPhone 12 at risk
Bad surprise for Apple: a delay by suppliers is allegedly causing the company several problems, so much so that it may even affect the number of iPhone 12 available. It's a hard blow for Cupertino, given the proximity with the stages immediately following the launch date of the new smartphone.
Whether the problem will cause a real lack of iPhone 12 on the market and ready for sale, a few weeks before the start of sales, is yet to be known but certainly this news will not have made Apple's headquarters sleep soundly. For Apple, the first four months of the launch of new smartphones are usually the most profitable and, with a problem like this, part of the earnings could be potentially at risk. The problem would have as protagonists the chips that manage the energy consumption, present not only in the iPhone but also in other devices. Despite the fact that Apple's production batches take precedence over other customers, the issue doesn't seem to be one of the easiest to solve.
iPhone at risk, the reasons behind the problem
The disruptions in the production chain due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak would have had a hand in it. The Taiwan-based chipmaker had already raised the issue last October. Fundamental problem that represented by 5G smartphones, guilty of increasing the demand for this element by 30-40% per specimen, compared to previous models with 4G technology.
The race to grab every last gram of silicon was then the coup de grace for the production worldwide, with repercussions that could last for at least another three months. A company that, above all, has weighed on the entire supply chain was Huawei that, just before the September deadline established by U.S. sanctions, has decided to make a massive stockpile for fear of being left empty-handed.
iPhone 12 and the problems with silicon, what will happen?
Of course for iPhone 12 energy management is a key issue, given the features present in the new model, just starting from 5G. From the headquarters of Cupertino, however, all is silent although the CEO Tim Cook himself said he was "not surprised" by the current situation.
At the moment there are no delays on iPhone 12 pre-orders, at least according to what is reported on the U.S. edition of the official website. Some problems could instead concern iPhone 12 Pro, whose orders will arrive in the homes of buyers not before the end of November. Similar fate is touched for iPad, at least in some of the available models, and Apple Watch, with deliveries scheduled for the last days of the same month.