William Gallagher
New figures claim that iPad buyers are having to wait up to nine weeks for delivery, as the global chip shortage means Apple is prioritizing iPhone 13 manufacturing.
As Tim Cook has said, while Apple has generally managed to fare better than most over the global chip shortage, it had to choose to cut back on iPad production. Now new figures suggest that the situation continues, even four months after the launch of the iPhone 13 and its initial demand.
Nikkei Asia has been tracking delivery times for the regular iPad, in its 64GB configuration, across 25 territories, including the US, China, and Japan. As of January 28, 2022, the average wait time was 50 days, which the publication notes is an improvement on the 55 days for buyers last December.
However, 50 days is only the average, and the publication reports a wide variety of wait times, and especially across different iPad models. According to Nikkei Asia, a buyer of a 256GB Space Gray iPad in the Philippines would have to wait 63 days.
The same model for a buyer in Malaysia is reportedly 54 days.
Significantly, Nikkei Asia figures also show that iPhone 13 wait time have considerably improved. It's currently around 10 days for some unspecified models, compared to over a month in late 2021.
Separately, Tim Cook said in October 2021 that the ongoing supply shortage cost Apple an estimated $6 billion in revenue.
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7 Comments
Fortunately for me, I got a tracking # on my daughter’s birthday iPad an hour before I saw this article!
I woulda been panicked!
In my experience, it hasn’t been quite as long as the time specified, but still extended. I ordered an iPad Pro on December 31 and it showed up on January 25, so not too too bad. My dad ordered a 9th gen iPad on January 9 and it has a delivery date of March 4, so that’s a little closer to what’s being experienced. I’d imagine the standard iPad will have the longer wait times though.
Only the iPad 2021 model is difficult to get. I just looked at a large online retailer in the Netherlands, and I can order any other iPad model today (mini, air, pro 2021 up to 2TB) and get it delivered tomorrow.
What puzzles me is why a Certified Refurbished iPad would have similarly long delay. Most don’t, but some do.