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Supply chain issues to impact Apple’s iPhone 13 until early next year

Published Nov 8th, 2021 6:27PM EST
iPhone 13 supply chain
Image: Christian de Looper for BGR

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The ongoing shortages and supply chain issues will continue to impact the iPhone 13 until next year, reports say.

According to 9to5Mac, a pay-walled article published on Digitimes suggests that the iPhone 13 supply will continue to be constrained throughout the coming months. In fact, the shortages could lead to an impact on the production of the new smartphone into early 2022.

iPhone 13 supply chain issues may impact production until early 2022

Apple iPhone 13 Back
Apple iPhone 13 back. Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The reports paint a picture of the current supply chain problems plaguing the production of Apple’s iPhone 13. That picture isn’t the happiest one we’ve ever seen, but it does look like there could be an end in sight, at least for some of the current problems.

Digitimes reports that the kinks in the lineup until now appear to be smoothing out, as assemblers are on track to increase manufacturing into next February to meet “terminal demand”. In this particular case, terminal demand is referring to the balancing of supply and demand. This is something that many device manufacturers have been struggling with over the past few months. If there really is an end in sight, even just for some manufacturers, it could bring a lot of relief to the industry.

Apple’s iPhone lineup has become one of the most popular smartphones around the globe. As such, keeping up with supply and demand is most likely a tough thing to do, even under normal circumstances. When you throw in the problems facing the industry right now, it makes sense for the supply line to become constrained, especially as new devices release and start to take up more of those finite components.

The shortage could continue longer

iPhone 13 Pro Lightning Port
iPhone 13 Pro Lightning Port Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The shortages plaguing the electronic industry right now are not new. In fact, we’ve been dealing with them in some shape or form since early 2020. That year the Covid-129 pandemic shut down a lot of manufacturing and businesses surrounding that part of the industry. Since then, the attempts to meet the demands with adequate supply have been harrowing. One that has affected many points within the industry, including smartphones, TVs, and more.

We have already seen some instances of Apple prioritizing the iPhone 13 over the production of other devices. Even with the supply line starting to show some semblance of a return to normalcy, we aren’t out of the woods yet.

Early 2022 sounds like it could bring some relief to the industry. Unfortunately, it’s unclear exactly what the coming months will bring to the table. If the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect manufacturing, then any possible relief could be short-lived.

Josh Hawkins has been writing for over a decade, covering science, gaming, and tech culture. He also is a top-rated product reviewer with experience in extensively researched product comparisons, headphones, and gaming devices.

Whenever he isn’t busy writing about tech or gadgets, he can usually be found enjoying a new world in a video game, or tinkering with something on his computer.