The pandemic and the associated shortage of semiconductor components have disrupted many industry trends, but it is unlikely to make consumers stop buying gifts during the so-called sales season. According to Wedbush Securities analysts, Apple managed to sell more than 10 million iPhones over the weekend alone, and about 40 million smartphones will be sold by the end of December.
Apple was able to sell 10 million iPhones this past weekend alone
According to Wedbush Securities, Apple stores continue to suffer from a shortage of iPhone 13 Pro smartphones, while demand outstrips supply by about 15% and order waiting times stretch out to several weeks. In general, according to the results of the fourth calendar quarter, Apple can sell more than 80 million smartphones. China alone could sell at least 15 million iPhones in December, according to the source.
According to experts, the impact of the shortage of chips on the availability of smartphones on sale will be temporary, and the delayed demand for the iPhone will be able to support Apple's financial performance for a long time. According to Wedbush Securities, the company's new fiscal year began in October on the company's calendar, and nearly 12 million wireless AirPods could be sold over the next 100 months. This product category is expected to contribute more than 5% of Apple's total revenue in fiscal 2022.
Apple overtook Vivo in smartphone sales in China in October
According to Nikkei Asia, TSMC will begin production of the first 5G modems designed by Apple so that they can be included in iPhones to be released in 2023. Thus, this will mark the end of the Cupertino-based giant's long-term internal efforts to gain independence from players such as Qualcomm or Intel.
In addition, in 2019, Apple bought a significant part of its mobile division from Intel, which specializes in the development of 4G / 5G chips and modems. At the time, it was a way to accelerate the work that Tim Cook's teams had already done. The Japanese newspaper points out that, according to four of its sources, “The iPhone maker is developing its own components to work with radio frequencies and millimeter waves, complete with a modem. In addition, Apple is also working on its own power management chip specifically for the modem."
This new leak is in line with recent rumors about Apple switching to modems in 2023. In addition, Qualcomm said a few weeks ago that by 2023 modems are expected to supply only 20% of iPhones. According to the SoC giant, Apple will continue to use Qualcomm modems for some markets at least initially.
The production testing phase of these Apple modems has already begun, and they will be engraved at 5nm. If TSMC goes according to plan, Apple's SoCs will switch to 4nm technology as early as next year, while the iPad 2022 and iPhone 2023 will have access to the 3nm manufacturing process.
