iPad and MacBook Production Reportedly Delayed Due to Global Chip Shortage

Apple is facing a global shortage of certain components for some of its MacBook and iPad models, causing the Cupertino tech giant and its suppliers to postpone production of the products, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia.

ipad pro and macbook pro
According to the report, MacBook production is being hindered due to the shortage of chips mounted onto the circuit board before final assembly, which is a key step in the overall production process. ‌iPad‌ production is being impacted due to display and display component shortages, the report adds.

In response to the pushed back production, Apple has postponed component orders for the two devices to the second half of the year. While MacBook and ‌iPad‌ production is being directly impacted, iPhone production is so far not affected. However, industry sources say that supplies for ‌iPhone‌ components are limited.

Production plans for Apple's iconic iPhones have so far not been affected by the supply shortage, although the supply of some components for the devices is "quite tight," according to two sources. Overall, the component shortage remains a supply chain issue for Apple and has not yet had an impact on product availability for consumers, Nikkei has learned.

Apple is widely expected to be launching new iPad Pro models and possibly redesigned MacBook Pros with Apple silicon in the coming months. Bloomberg has reported that new ‌iPad‌ models with drastically improved performance and a new mini-LED display are simply weeks away from launch.

While Nikkei doesn't specify which ‌iPad‌ and MacBook models are being impacted due to the shortage, it certainly seems plausible that the delayed assembly of the products could result in some form of a delayed product announcement from Apple.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad Pro, iPad mini, MacBook Pro
Tag: Nikkei
Related Forums: iPad, MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

Verizon New

Verizon is Down: iPhones Show 'SOS' Mode Due to Network Outage [Resolved]

Wednesday January 14, 2026 10:18 am PST by
Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms. iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage....
Apple Creator Studio

Apple Introduces New 'Creator Studio' Bundle of Apps for $129 Per Year

Tuesday January 13, 2026 6:11 am PST by
Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad Pixelmator...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
maxresdefault

Apple Confirms Google Gemini Will Power Next-Generation Siri This Year

Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. "After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative...
airpods pro 3 design

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 3 Firmware Update

Tuesday January 13, 2026 11:29 am PST by
Apple today released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The latest firmware has a version number of 8B34, up from the previous version 8B30. Apple has a support document for AirPods firmware updates, and it indicates that the 8B34 update contains unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements." No other AirPods models received firmware updates today. How to install AirPods Pro...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
maxresdefault

Google Gemini-Powered Siri Will Reportedly Have These 7 New Features

Tuesday January 13, 2026 7:52 pm PST by
Apple and Google this week announced that Gemini will help power a more personalized Siri, and The Information has provided more details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. As soon as this spring, the report said the revamped version of Siri will be able to… Answer more factual/world knowledge questions in a conversational manner Tell more stories Provide...
fcp pcp iwork creator studio

Some Apple Apps Will No Longer Receive Every New Feature Without a Subscription

Tuesday January 13, 2026 10:50 am PST by
If you are not interested in subscribing to the new Apple Creator Studio bundle introduced today, you will officially start to miss out on some new features. Apple said some "exciting new intelligent features and premium content" in Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform will only be accessible with a Creator Studio subscription. In the U.S., a subscription costs $12.99 per...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around nine months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...

Top Rated Comments

RedTomato Avatar
62 months ago

The fundamental problem is that in the year 2000, there were about 30 companies that made their own integrated circuits.

Then, they discovered that it's a lot cheaper to outsource, and now we have only a handful of companies producing chips while the demand is higher than it has ever been. Even AMD outsource their actual chip manufacturing to companies like TSMC.
Not really cheaper. The technology for tooling a modern chip line has become so advanced and so expensive that even with the resources of the entire world, it's only possible to set up 2 or 3 next-generation EUV chip lines. The machines are insanely complicated - they use lasers to explode droplets of vaporised tin plasma, creating extreme ultra-violet light that needs to be focussed through mirrors to etch the chip - but the mirrors unavoidably absorb 96% of the light.

The power efficiency is around 0.02% so for each 200watts of laser light delivered over a million watts is needed at the wall. Each EUV machine weights 200 tons and only does about 40 wafers per hour, and costs over $120 million, and that is only a small part of what building a new chip line involves - but it's the main limiting factor.

There's more or less only one company that makes them, ASML in the Netherlands, which was formed from a consortium of almost all the research companies working in this field - because the expense and difficulty of developing them was so extreme. So far, I believe there's only around 100 of these EUV machines worldwide, and ASML is working flat out to refine and make more of them.

As you said, it costs around $20-100 billion to set up new chip lines, and the next generation is likely to be even more expensive. It may be that from 2025 onwards, every chip company in the world will have to jointly collaborate to fund a single next-generation line with huge government funding - the costs are just too extreme otherwise.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
-DMN- Avatar
62 months ago
There’s only a chip shortage because of demand, so why not set up infrastructure so we’re able to build more chips here in the U.S.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wanha Avatar
62 months ago
Apple is THE premium customer in tech and will always get preferential treatment from suppliers because of that.

This puts Apple in a better spot to weather this shortage than every other company on earth.

Time to collectively take a deep breath and relax that unnecessary tension in our sphincters.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wanha Avatar
62 months ago

There’s only a chip shortage because of demand, so why not set up infrastructure so we’re able to build more chips here in the U.S.
The fundamental problem is that in the year 2000, there were about 30 companies that made their own integrated circuits.

Then, they discovered that it's a lot cheaper to outsource, and now we have only a handful of companies producing chips while the demand is higher than it has ever been. Even AMD outsource their actual chip manufacturing to companies like TSMC.

To combat this, Intel and TSMC have both just recently announced plans to invest a lot of money ($20 and $100 billion, respectively) to increase capacity to meet demand. Intel is also planning to open its doors to other manufacturers, like TSMC and Samsung are already doing.

TL;DR version: investments are being made to combat the chip shortage, but it will take some time (probably going well into 2022) before the increased capacity becomes available.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
James Godfrey Avatar
62 months ago
I have to highlight the following line from the article:

‘As a result of the delay, Apple has pushed back a portion of component orders for the two devices from the first half of this year to the second half, the people said.’

With this statement, I assume apple has merely just reduced its order size down a bit to relieve the pressure, now in regards to how much this has been reduced hasn’t actually been released, this could just be 10% reduction, which will have a small impact on availability after initial launch.

This article in no way means a launch isn’t still happening, it just means after the initial stock has gone, consumers might be waiting a while to receive their new iPads.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vagos Avatar
62 months ago
So glad I went for the MBA M1 and did not wait for the MBP later this year.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)