Excited about the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro? Us too! But if you don't have one yet, maybe it's best not to get too excited...
According to Bloomberg, Apple looks like it won't have enough chips to produce enough new iPhones to meet demand.
The company had originally planned to produce 90 million in the last few months of the year. But it’s slashing that number by 10 million, due to supply issues surrounding components coming from Broadcom and Texas Instruments (if you want to get one quick, see our guide to the best iPhone 13 deals.
(Image credit: Apple)
That's not a huge surprise, as the whole global economy is facing a supply-related slowdown right now. Indeed, Apple CFO Luca Maestri foresaw the possibility of supply issues hitting production as far back as this August.
That said, it's still a blow to millions of consumers, who now won't be able to get the latest iPhone in their Christmas stocking this year, or make the most of Apple Black Friday deals this November. So how tricky will it be for Apple to weather the storm?
What does this mean for Apple?
Predictably, Apple shares have dropped on the news. But while it's bad news for Apple shareholders, and very frustrating for anyone who can't get a new iPhone for Christmas, we don't think it's likely to damage the brand's standing in the long term.
For a start, it's by no means Apple who's disappointing customers due to supply chain issues. As the ongoing issues surrounding the PS5 restock shows, no one is immune. So it's unlikely that many will blame Apple for what is clearly a worldwide, all-encompassing problem.
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Nor will fewer people having iPhone 13s in their pocket discourage anyone who can from buying one. As we've often pointed out, Apple's products are as much fashion items as tech products. And the more exclusive and hard-to-find a fashion item becomes, the more people in general want it.
Yes, this supply problem is of course going to have an adverse effect on Apple's bottom line. But as the world's most valuable company – officially, as of January this year – they have more cushioning on that score than most.
None of which is any comfort for anyone who wants to buy an iPhone 13. But if that's you, all we can say is: don't wait around. Check out the best deals on the iPhone 13 below, and get one ordered while the going's still good!
Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects.
