The new MacBook Air might come with a long wait time - The Verge
While Apple is expected to announce the new MacBook Air at WWDC, it may not immediately be available for purchase. According to Mark Gurman, COVID-related closures at factories in China could contribute to long wait times.
Apple is poised to reveal a new MacBook Air at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, but even if it does, you may not be able to immediately buy one. According to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, COVID-19 shutdowns at the Chinese plants that make MacBooks might mean a limited supply of new devices or a release date that’s further off.
China’s zero-COVID policy has led to the temporary closure of factories that make Apple products, including Pegatron and Quanta. Although China has begun to relax some of the movement restrictions it initially reinstated in March, some neighborhoods in Shanghai still remain under lockdown.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to ship about six to seven million new MacBook Airs before the third quarter of this year if Quanta’s production capacity returns to pre-lockdown levels. He also believes that there may be more shipments of the new MacBook Air when compared to existing shipments of the 14 to 16-inch MacBook Pros — the new MacBook Air is set to be shipped by both Quanta and Foxconn, while the MacBook Pro is shipped only by Quanta. Apple currently has new MacBook Pro orders on hold until late July due to closures and part shortages.
(2/2)2H22 shipment forecast of new MBA is 6-7mn units if Quanta's Shanghai capacity can be back to pre-lockdown level before 3Q22. Delivery for new MBA made by two EMS (Quanta the 1st & Foxconn the 2nd) should be better than existing 14"/16" MacBook Pro (shipped by Quanta only).
Rating: 5