Compared to other mobile phone manufacturers, Apple is actually less affected by the global shortage of chips.
But the impact is still felt, especially in the latest iPhone line, namely the iPhone 13. Based on sources from component suppliers, iPhone 13 production will not be able to meet existing demand at least until February 2022.
The Digitimes report stated that the supply of the iPhone 13 will remain limited during this quarter and also into the coming quarters.
"The shortage of IC components for the iPhone 13 series started in early October and started to improve after suppliers increased production, with assemblers starting to increase production until next February to meet demand," Digitimes wrote.
Previously, it was reported that since the pandemic occurred, the demand for chips has continued to increase but cannot be met from the producer's side. This is still the case today, which makes many manufacturers experience obstacles in meeting market demand.
The impact of this scarcity for Apple is not as big as the impact on other manufacturers. However, they still lost a huge potential income from this problem, which reached USD 6 billion or around Rp 85 trillion.
"We've had a strong performance despite the bigger-than-expected supply bottleneck, which we estimate is around $6 billion," Cook said.
"Industry-wide shortages of chips we talk about and manufacturing issues in Southeast Asia related to COVID-19," he added.
Cook predicts losses from the problem of supplying these components will be even greater in the December quarter.
Apple even cut production of the iPad and switched it to the iPhone 13. According to a Nikkei report citing two sources, iPad production in the last two months fell by 50% compared to the original plan. In addition to the iPad components, some components for older iPhones were also transferred to the iPhone 13.
The iPad and iPhone do share some of the same components, including the main chip and peripherals. This allows Apple to switch supplies between the iPad and iPhone if needed.
