The rumor: Apple has pushed back the production of some iPad and Mac models, according to Nikkei Asia (rating pending).
- What’s happening with the Mac? “Chip shortages have caused delays in a key step in MacBook production — the mounting of components on printed circuit boards before final assembly”
- And bad news for iPad, too: “Some iPad assembly, meanwhile, was postponed because of a shortage of displays and display components, sources said”
- Nikkei Asia notes that Apple has pushed back some component orders from the first half of 2021 until the second half of this year
Our take: I don’t think this applies to the upcoming iPad Pro…but this could certainly be an explanation for why we haven’t seen an Apple event announced just yet. This global chip shortage is quickly becoming a big issue for even large players like Apple.