Wave7: Apple is only now feeling the global chip shortage

While Apple is starting to feel the effects of the global chip shortage, it is in a better position than its competitors and will see substantial market gains thanks to advance planning, new research says.

In the early days of the global chip shortage, some thought Apple's size and buying power might mean it would benefit from better pricing for components. Later, Apple was still thought to be relatively unaffected, but more recently it has experienced supply issues for important components for products such as the MacBook Pro.

Now, a new report once again shows that companies like Samsung have been hit harder. A study by Wave7 Research found that smartphone stock shortages in stores have increased significantly. About 37 sales representatives in mobile phone retail stores across the United States were surveyed. 70% of them reported smartphone stock shortages in August, up from 45% in June and 28% in May.

Separate research from Canalys shows that Apple's share of global smartphone shipments rose to 62% in the first half of 2021, compared with 53% in the same period of 2020. Similarly, Counterpoint Research said 5G demand pushed Apple to capture 57% of the smartphone market above $400 in the second quarter of 2021, and nearly 75% of the market above $800.

Apple did not comment on The Information's report, or Wave7's research. However, both Verizon and Samsung said they had experienced problems with product shipments. Verizon said that in a few cases, some device order fulfillment may experience temporary delays, and it is working to mitigate the impact, and order fulfillment should return to normal levels soon. A Samsung spokesperson said the company is doing its best to mitigate the impact of the chip shortage.

From cnbeta