The ongoing chip shortage is finally affecting iPhone 13 Pro production

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

If you were thinking about upgrading to the iPhone 13 and its sweet camera setup, you might have a hard time getting your hands on one. Bloomberg reports that Apple is about to cut its production targets by 10 million handsets, because of the pandemic’s ongoing effect on the availability of electronic chips.

It seems that the bullish projections that led Apple to increase production targets by 20 percent earlier this year are no longer accurate. That increase set a production target of 90 million iPhones this year, but now Apple is about to unwind most of that change and set a more attainable 80 million as the target.

The main bottleneck for Apple right now is its chip suppliers, giants of industry like Broadcom and Texas Instruments. Those companies haven’t been able to supply enough units for any of their customers, so Apple is finally feeling the pinch of the pandemic. Any chip orders could take up to 21.7 weeks to fulfill, playing havoc with tight production schedules.

READ MORE: An EV battery shortage may be on the horizon

Apple seems to be focusing on volume sales for the base model iPhone 13 right now. That means you might have a wait if you order the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, and some Apple stores even have certain configurations as “unavailable.”

Last year, the iPhone 12 faced similar delays with its production schedules. With the pandemic having no end in sight, consumers are going to have to face the new reality of delays, and perhaps rethink the “gotta have it yesterday” culture that modern capitalism has wrought.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple wants you to use your iPhone to control your car
• Apple is holding a MacBook event on October 18 – here’s what to know
• Samsung is gearing up for another Galaxy Unpacked event on October 20
• Oops, someone leaked pretty much everything about the Pixel 6

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.