iPhone 13 might be easier to buy soon… but at the expense of new iPads
Apple shifts its focus
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
If you followApplenews, you’re probably familiar with theiPhone 13shortages plaguing certain models in the series, which has stopped many people getting their hands on the fruit company’s newest.
Well, there’s good news in store for iPhone fans, but it’s a double-edged blade.
According toNikkei Asia, an Asian business site, Apple has reduced production on iPads in order to use more components on the iPhone 13 models instead. This works because the iPhone 13’s chipset is also used in the newiPad (2021)andiPad mini (2021).
The website states that iPad production is down 50% on Apple’s goals, but that’s because iPhone 13 sales are forecasted to be higher than iPad ones.
Nikkei doesn’t specify which iPads are affected, but since theiPad Pro (2021)uses the M1 chipset which iPhones don’t have some believe that isn’t impacted.
Soon, then, we could see iPhone 13 availability rocket back up - but at the expense of iPad stock.
This measure is likely no surprise, thanks to theglobal chipset shortagewhich means phone components are relatively scarce. Apple isn’t the only company affected.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Analysis: good and bad news for Black Friday buyers
WithBlack Friday 2021coming up onNovember 26, but the global chipset shortage raging on, lots of people are wondering how many deals on big tech products will crop up.
This news suggestsBlack Friday iPhone dealscould be a bit better than expected - we didn’t expect manyiPhone 13 Prodeals at all since that seems to be the product most affected by shortages, and even discounts on the standard iPhone 13 seemed unlikely.
However, if stock comes back in time, we could see better deals. There won’t be fantastic discounts, because the iPhone 13 is fairly new andApple deals on Black Fridayare often quite lackluster, but there could be a few more than we expected.
That’s not the case for iPads though, and this news suggests deals could be few and far between. If there’s limited stock of the new entry-level and mini iPads overall, retailers aren’t going to be throwing them out the door with huge price reductions and good deals. And even if there are reasonable discounts, they’ll likely sell out very quickly.
So this news is good and bad for Apple fans over Black Friday, depending on what new gadget you were hoping to pick up. Thankfully, theLego Black Friday dealsare unaffected, and that’s what you should be looking forward to anyway.
Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.
A newly reported iPhone phenomenon could be bad news for both cops and robbers
The iPhone 18 series could include a variable aperture, ‘significantly enhancing’ the camera
Smeg Combi Steam Oven review: a multi-functional countertop oven that looks stunning and cooks well
