As many of us are already aware, Apple launched the iPhone 13 lineup toward the end of September. There were a lot of questions surrounding this launch, in
As many of us are already aware, Apple launched the iPhone 13 lineup toward the end of September. There were a lot of questions surrounding this launch, in large part because we’re currently in the middle of a global semiconductor shortage that has put the squeeze on nearly every company that manufactures consumer electronic devices. Apple, however, apparently had a contingency plan in place should the shortage affect iPhone production: just borrow the components needed from iPads. That’s according to Nikkei Asia, which spoke to “multiple sources” who say that Apple is borrowing hardware from iPads to help bolster production on the iPhone 13 product lineup. While the two devices aren’t exactly the same (obviously), they’re close enough that the iPad and iPhone 13 share key hardware. For instance, both the iPad mini and the iPhone 13 lineup use Apple’s A15 Bionic processor, and manufacturing those SoCs is something that’s undoubtedly more difficult during the silicon shortage. Of course, this isn’t the perfect solution, as Nikkei reports that Apple’s iPad production is down 50% over the past two months, which isn’t great when more people are working from home and potentially looking to add more screens to their home office setups. Beyond that, being able to bolster iPhone with iPad parts can’t curb lost revenue entirely, as last week, Apple chief Tim Cook said that supply shortages cost the company a whopping $6 billion in its most recent fiscal quarter.
