Apple Supplier Foxconn Says Shortages Now Easing

Foxconn, the biggest assembler of iPhones, today announced that the component shortages that have constrained the supply of devices over the past two years are now showing signs of easing, Bloomberg reports.

chinafoxconn
The first quarter of 2022 is said to be experiencing a "major improvement" in parts shortages, and "overall supply constraints" are expected to ease in the second half of the year, a spokesperson for Foxconn commented at a company event earlier today. While TSMC manufactures Apple's custom-designed chips, Apple is still reliant on many industry-standard chips, such as for power management. Display drivers and power management chips have been among the components that have constrained Apple's manufacturing capabilities, and Foxconn added that power management chips remain in short supply.

The announcement is potentially an encouraging sign across the technology manufacturing industry, but TSMC has warned that chip supplies will remain tight throughout 2022. Major suppliers like Foxconn and TSMC are planning to maintain larger inventories in the future to ensure supply security.

Smartphone shipments have slowed over the past two years due to shortages, but supply chain disruption has primarily affected low-end vendors rather than titans such as Apple. Industry analysts believe that bottlenecks will not fully ease until the second half of 2022.

Nikkei Asia reported earlier this month that Apple is struggling to tackle a backlog of iPad orders because it prioritized iPhone 13 shipments instead. The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are also still in short supply around the world.

While supply chain constraints cost Apple $6 billion in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2021, the company's supply chain is now firmly in the process of recovering as it prepares for a slate of new product launches this year.

Tag: Foxconn

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
44 months ago
This is great news. Fingers are crossed this year there won't be any shortages at all. Won’t be happy if there are any delays this year. Last year was no joke.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
siddavis Avatar
44 months ago

All i keep hearing and reading is about the parts supply issue. Does anyone know what the actual issue was? was it lack of raw materials making the parts? lack of labour? or is it a case that there is a supply issue because the companies that make the parts didn't make enough? or that they are just not physically capable of making more to supply everyone that wants them?
It was decided that shutting things down was the best approach to slow the spread of the pandemic. Little discourse was allowed regarding the other consequences. Here we are.

So yes to all of those questions.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WWPD Avatar
44 months ago

Time for a new stock image
What are you talking about? Those two are still discussing what's on that clipboard to this very day.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
44 months ago
I can say this has not affected me at all. My iPhone X is still going strong and I’m not looking at upgrading until 2023 and if it’s still working fine, might push out the upgrade to 2024. My 2017 iPad Pro is also working just fine too and I can’t see when I will be upgrading that either. Bought a M1 MBP back in 2020 so I plan keep that maybe for the next 9 years. You’d be surprised how long some folks keep their MacBooks these days.

I do want a large screen iMac though, but do I really when I could just buy a 27 or 32 inch display? Will think about it more when the 3rd gen of the large screen iMac comes out.

Apple Watch is likely to be the first device I upgrade since I am rocking a Series 3. But if Apple gives it watchOS 9 then hey, another year to save.

Apple products last long and with great software support you really can stretch out those hardware upgrades.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icanhazmac Avatar
44 months ago

I suspect it’ll probably be mid third quarter before we finally start seeing some stability with tech/electronics in general. Anything from surround-sounds to even certain smart TVs are still constrained. It probably will be that way, given that certain parts of Asia were hit late with Omicron.
I just want to know when the buy 1 get 1 free sale on new cars will start!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
44 months ago

I just want to know when the buy 1 get 1 free sale on new cars will start!
That’s a really screwed up market too. In my area, used car lots are gone, new car dealerships have zero new inventory and I don’t see that industry settling anytime soon. Part of me actually thinks, The whole ‘car buying’ dynamic has changed where it will probably never be the same again. The used vehicle consumer market is just insane right now with inflation. (Inflation percentages anywhere from ~20% to 25%.)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)