Less iPad, more iPhone - Apple refocuses production

Apple, like other companies, is largely suffering from a global chip shortage, which has led to a significant drop in shipments of products such as the iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7. Now Apple is reportedly cutting iPad production to reallocate components for the iPhone.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Nikkei Asia claims that Apple has "drastically reduced" iPad production to ensure there are enough components to produce the iPhone 13. By doing so, the company expects to increase the supply of iPhones, which are in higher demand than Apple's tablets.

The report says iPad production has been cut by 50%. At the same time, Apple is cutting production of older iPhone models to make the iPhone 13 lineup a priority. Since these devices share some common components, they are all being carried over to the latest iPhones.

As America and Europe recover from the coronavirus pandemic, demand for Apple's latest products has increased significantly. However, while the iPhone is Apple's number one priority, iPad sales have also been strong this year, with 40.3 million units shipped as of September.

Unfortunately, this means that customers will have to wait for ordered iPad tablets to reach the usual time. Apple's website has already pushed back the delivery date for some iPad models to mid-December. On Monday Apple added a message to its website advising customers to "shop early" to get their orders in time for the holidays.

Source: nikkei

Illustration: Reuters / AP