Apple has cut iPad production in half to allocate more components to iPhone 13 amidst a global chip shortage, Nikkei reported Tuesday.
Citing sources briefed on the matter, the report says iPad production was down 50 percent from Apple’s original plans in the last two months. Apple has reportedly also allocated some parts originally intended for older iPhone models to iPhone 13 production.
The report doesn’t have details on which models were affected, but one that comes to mind is the new iPad mini, which shares the same chip – the A15 Bionic – with all of the iPhone 13 models.
Nikkei’s sources claim that Apple is prioritizing the iPhone partly because it expects a stronger demand for smartphones than tablets, especially if the Covid-19 pandemic eases in the coming months. But the report also claims that demand for the iPad has recently been high as well, with 40.3 million units shipped this year as of September.
For buyers, this could mean longer wait times for the iPad. if you order an iPad mini with 64GB or 256GB of storage memory right now, you’re looking at a 4-5 weeks shipping wait. For the basic iPad model, which Apple also refreshed in October, you’ll get the same 4-5 week shipping time. For comparison, the iPad Air, which hasn’t been updated since Sept. 2020, has a shipping time of 2-3 weeks.
Apple has warned its customers about possible shortages. In April, CEO Tim Cook said that iPads and Macs may be in short supply in the second half of this year.
We’ve reached out to Apple for comment and will update this article when we hear back.
