Global Chip Shortage Could Delay Apple Product(s)

Apparently, no one is safe from the global semiconductor shortage – including one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable consumer brands.

DigiTimesAsia is reporting that the chip shortage could delay the launch of Apple’s mini LED-backlit MacBook Pros. The consensus seems to be that it’ll launch in October or November, though all of this seems uncertain and contingent on a number of factors (like no more COVID-related work stoppages).

Most would agree that the chip shortage hit automakers the worst – no one was driving, so the chips were allocated to other sectors – but that doesn’t mean the consumer market was spared.

Back in June, the Wall Street Journal reported that “The global chip shortage is pushing up prices of items such as laptops and printers and is threatening to do the same to other top-selling devices including smartphones,” and that’s especially true for consumer brands that source critical parts from overseas (like Apple, for instance). 

While the pandemic sent the public rushing for their portable electronic devices and streaming services – thereby causing a huge market shift – a monumental supply chain issue like this was bound to snake its way back to the consumer sector. 

Another recent, ominous headline mused “How the global chip shortage could ruin Black Friday.” “While much of the coverage has focused on the automotive industry, it's increasingly affecting a much broader range of consumer electronics,” noted Protocol, and it’s not hard to extrapolate from there.

The “holiday season” – which has increasingly shifted and expanded backwards – is right around the corner, and even the most old-school interpretations would still peg it as the day after Thanksgiving, and that’s a mere two months away.

Most sources believe we won’t be completely over the global chip shortage for at least a year or two. And when most toys have some electronic components – and the hotter ones, like game consoles, even more so – I can’t imagine the upcoming holidays not being effected in some way.