China COVID lockdown extension to impact MacBook supply

Macbook Air M1
Macbook Air M1 (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • COVID lockdowns are being extended in Shanghai and Kunshan.
  • It is having an impact on MacBook production.
  • A new report says it will impact shipments and supply in the second quarter.

Another new report says that COVID lockdowns in China is threatening MacBook supply and could see shipments impacted.

According to a new paywalled Digitimes report:

Lockdown extensions in Kunshan and Shanghai, China are expected to impact Apple's MacBook shipments in the second quarter as delivery from its notebook ODM to the US-based vendor is slowing down, according to suppliers engaged in the supply chain.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has reiterated the government's zero-tolerance approach to COVID, and said Wednesday that the pandemic remained very serious and that prevention and measures to control work could not be relaxed.

Supply chain insider Ming-Chi Kuo stated Wednesday that Apple was beginning to see struggles with the supply of its MacBook Pro (2021), slipping to shipping times of 3-5 weeks. Sole supplier Quanta has been impacted by the lockdowns in Shanghai and Kunshan, with multiple factories of Quanta, Pegatron, and Luxshare Precision forced to suspend operations. Factories impacted also included those making the iPhone SE, however, Kuo says the impact here is much less severe because Apple has plenty of stock due to "lackluster" demand for its new iPhone.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9