Apple MacBook shipments delayed as China lockdowns slow production
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US consumers trying to order Apple's latest high-end models are now seeing delivery estimates pushed into June.
PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES (BLOOMBERG) - Apple shoppers are facing longer wait times for the company's flagship MacBook Pro laptops, a sign that Covid-19 lockdowns in China may be contributing to delays.
US consumers trying to order Apple's latest high-end models are now seeing delivery estimates pushed into June and the date range for the lower-end configuration of the 14-inch MacBook Pro was as late as May 26, as at Wednesday (April 12). Those wait times represent a jump from recent days, before supply chain snags worsened again.
The delays underscore Apple's struggles to keep its supply chain running smoothly during the Covid-19 era - especially as China pursues a zero-tolerance policy for outbreaks.
More than 30 Taiwanese companies, including Apple laptop manufacturer Quanta Computer, have halted production in China because of lockdowns. In Quanta's case, the company shut a Shanghai plant to comply with government restrictions.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple's highest-end MacBook Pro configuration - a US$3,499 (S$4,750) version with additional graphics cores and memory - is seeing delivery estimates as late as June 16 in the United States. Most of Apple's other Macs, including the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini, are not currently affected. Those models are either shipping with same-day delivery or promising an arrival within a few days.
Delivery estimates for the Mac Pro, which often takes longer to ship because of its customised features, are in May. The new Mac Studio desktop computer's higher-end configuration is not arriving until the second half of June. That machine was only announced recently, however, and may be seeing strong initial demand.
On Tuesday, Apple supplier Pegatron suspended work at its iPhone assembly campuses in Shanghai and Kunshan, but shipments do not immediately appear to be delayed.
Apple will announce its second-quarter earnings results on April 28, potentially giving investors a window into its supply challenges.
