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The Galaxy Note 7 fiasco may be bad news for Apple’s new MacBooks

Published Oct 25th, 2016 6:51PM EDT
iPhone 7 2016 MacBook Pro
Image: Jonathan Geller, BGR

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Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 troubles are far from over, and there’s one more side-effect the South Korean giant will have to deal with this quarter: a resurgent Apple. According to a report, Samsung’s American rival has increased iPhone 7 production in the wake of the Galaxy Note 7 explosions and recalls.

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The news comes from Digitimes, and follows a similar report from the same tech site.

Digitimes says that Samsung has been increasing its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge orders after the Galaxy Note 7 recall, hoping to minimize the financial hit. Apple, meanwhile, increased smartphone orders for the fourth quarter as well, looking to steal customers away from Samsung.

The site says that many memory component suppliers have shifted their capacity for PC memory for smartphones. That means that memory shipments to PC vendors may be delayed, which could impact PC sales during the Christmas quarter.

While the Galaxy Note 7 recall appears to be good news for Apple, it may have an adverse effect on a different Apple product that’s coming this quarter, the redesigned MacBook Pro.

It’s unclear at this time whether this expected PC memory shortage will affect Apple in any way. The MacBook maker will unveil a new MacBook Pro generation later this week, at which point we’ll find out more details about actual ship dates for the new laptops.

Apple never comments on supply rumors, but various reports have painted the company as a tough negotiator in its relationship with component makers that usually gets what it wants. It’s likely that Apple secured the components needed to make next-gen MacBooks well ahead of their official launch. But just in case this report does pan out, we might see some PC shortages in the coming months, all apparently caused by the Galaxy Note 7 debacle.

On the other hand, it’s not as the PC business is flourishing right now.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.