According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple is facing iPhone 12 Pro component shortages due to high demand for the handset, resulting in shipping estimates slipping into December.
Two new reports say that Apple is facing a shortage of two key specific components found in the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, LiDAR and power management chips.
Bloomberg reports that Apple is facing a “shortage of vital chips that manage power consumption.” iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are significantly more power-hungry compared to the iPhone 12, mostly in-part to LiDAR, an additional camera, and 5G Ultra-wide band antennas. Thus, the need for power management silicon is crucial.
An iPhone 12 Pro teardown by iFixit, taught us that Apple uses three suppliers for power management chips: Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, and Qualcomm.
In another report from Nikkei, Apple is also facing a shortage of LiDAR components for the iPhone 12 and have diverted components intended for the iPad Pro to the iPhone 12 Pro line:
“Demand for the iPhone 12 Pro has been much stronger than Apple anticipated. Making matters worse, the company has been hit by supply constraints for some components, such as power chips and lidar components used for depth-sensing imaging functions, Nikkei Asia learned. In response, Apple has reallocated some components intended for iPads to the iPhone 12 Pro,” says Nikkei.
Nikkei also reports that Apple’s decision to divert components away from the iPad Pro to the iPhone 12 Pro will result in two million fewer units overall for the year.
During Apple’s October earnings call, CEO Tim Cook mentioned that a supplier constraint “is not surprising” and “will be expected.”
