Apple Inc is grappling with continued supply chain constraints for its new high-end iPad Pro, potentially compounding an already month-and-a-half wait for the company’s priciest tablet.
The latest iPad Pro officially goes on sale in about a week, but buyers might not be able to get their hands on one until well into July. Delivery dates for pre-orders are stretching into late next month to early July.
The primary issue: Producing the 12.9-inch model’s new MiniLED screen has so far been challenging.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Apple Inc
Bloomberg News last month reported that the device was facing supply constraints because of complexities surrounding the nascent technology.
Apple unveiled the new iPad Pro range last month.
The new screen — called a liquid retina XDR display — on the priciest versions is touted as producing truer-to-life colors and a brighter picture.
Apple’s production partners are still struggling to produce the more intricate screens in larger quantities, people familiar with the matter said.
For a company that takes pride in its supply chain expertise, such wait times are a rarity.
Long wait times for shipments of the iPad Pros with the more advanced screens began to stack up when the device went on sale for pre-orders last month, and the continued production issues have kept delivery times into July.
During its most recent earnings call, Apple executives said that the company expects to miss out on as much as US$4 billion in revenue this quarter due to a combination of “very, very high” demand and “semiconductor shortages that are affecting many industries.”
The iPad is once again a growing product in Apple’s portfolio as consumers turn to remote work and learning models, and rely on personal electronics for essential tasks more than ever.
Last quarter, the device generated US$7.8 billion for Apple, the most for that quarter since 2013.
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