iPhone 13 and iPads will likely face shortages, Apple executives warned during an earnings call, despite reporting record sales.
Apple reported across-the-board sales growth in its Q3 2021 earnings call, but company executives warned that supply shortages had limited sales of Macs and iPads – and that they will likely limit sales of iPhones to come in Q4, which could impact the iPhone 13 launch. “We expect supply constraints during the September quarter to be greater than what we experienced during the June quarter. The constraints will primarily impact iPhone and iPad,” Apple CFO Luca Maestri said on the call. Apple still expects double-digit growth in Q4, but cautioned listeners that the growth would be lower than what Apple reported for Q3 2021, which was up 36% over Q3 2020. Apple’s shortages are linked to the semiconductor chip shortages plaguing others in the phones, computing, and automotive industries, among others. “The majority of the constraints we’re seeing are of the variety others are seeing – I’d classify it as an industry shortage,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the Q&A section of the earnings call. “We do have some shortages where demand is so great and beyond our own expectations that it is difficult to get our entire set of parts within the lead times where we try to get those.
