Lead times for Apple products mostly stable ahead of fall launches, but not the iPad

Apple's supply chain is in full swing preparing hardware for the annual fall product launches, including Apple's key product, the iPhone. In a report by analysts at J.P. Morgan, it seems that almost everything is going well in production.

According to the firm's Global Product Lead Time Tracker seen by AppleInsider, lead times for orders generally "moderated" or "remained stable" for all product categories, but not the iPad. Apple's tablet has now overtaken the Mac category for the longest lead times at 9 days, though the times aren't quite as long as seen in June.

Meanwhile, Mac lead times have drifted down to about a week or less across geographies after a high in mid-July. It is believed the data says the Mac supply chain dynamics "have largely normalized."

The Apple Watch has a 4-day lead time against 11 days previously, and AirPods saw a decline from 2 days to just a single day.

For the iPhone, J.P. Morgan says favorable lead times are seen across multiple territories, at 2 days globally, but a closer examination will be made in the lead-up and after Apple's September 7 event.

On a regional basis, U.S. lead times declined in general, including iPhone going from 3 days to 2 days, Mac from 18 days to 8 days, Apple Watch from 11 days to 2 days, and AirPods from 3 days to 1 day. Meanwhile, iPad lead times grew to 11 days from 8 days previously.

Western Europe lead times also remained relatively stable, with declines for Mac and Watch. In Japan, iPhone lead times ticked up from 3 days to 4, Mac declined from 10 days to 2 days, and others remained relatively stable.

As Apple reaches and passes through September and into the holiday shopping period, the lead times will almost certainly change, and will most likely deteriorate, as demand for the latest products grows considerably.