Apple to borrow components from the iPad Air (2020) to build enough iPhone 12 series units to meet demand
One of the sources familiar with Apple’s plans said that using components supposedly earmarked for its new tablet “…has affected around 2 million units in overall iPad production compared with its previous production plan for this year.” In other words, the plan to use iPad Air (2020) components for iPhone 12 models could result in 2 million fewer tablets being made by the manufacturer.
Another source says that Apple will make close to 10 million units of both the iPhone 11 and budget-priced iPhone SE (2020). As that source says, “The orders for older models are really better than expected.” Thanks to the global pandemic, Apple has had to hold meetings using video conferencing and has had to worry about whether its suppliers would remain open during the worst of the pandemic earlier in the year. Also making it harder for Apple has been the U.S.-China trade war. While some Apple products ended up slapped with an import tax after being exported into the states from China, Apple was able to avoid having a tariff placed on the iPhone.
For the third quarter, Apple found itself the fourth largest phone manufacturer in the world looking up at Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi. But there is a simple reason for this and it has to do with the coronavirus. COVID-19 forced Apple to delay the launch of the iPhone 12 series to October and November from the usual launch in September. As a result, the release of the new 2020 iPhones is pushed back to the fourth quarter instead of the traditional third quarter releases.
