According to a new report that surfaced just a day before Apple’s WWDC 2022 event, we may have a blocked number of shipments for the long-awaited 2022 MacBook Air update.
Ming Chi Kuoa well-known and accurate analyst on Twitter, stated in a new status update that the MacBook Air 2022 should be seeing a shipment quantity of “6-7 million units if Quanta’s capacity in Shanghai can return to pre-lockdown level before 3Q22”.
(2/2) New MBA shipment forecast in 2H22 is 6-7 million units if Quanta’s capacity in Shanghai can return to pre-lockdown level before 3Q22. Delivery for the new MBA done by two EMS (Quanta the 1st and Foxconn the 2nd) should be better than the existing 14″/16″ MacBook Pro (shipped by Quanta only).June 5, 2022
The tweet then elaborated that the new MacBook Air’s delivery system should be an improvement over the current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models due to two companies handling it. The first is Quanta and the second is Foxconn, compared to current Pro laptops delivered only by Quanta.
The main reason for these delays in shipments is the massive supply restrictions linked to the current COVID-19-related lockdowns in China. These supply restrictions have already cost Apple $6 billion over the past two quarters, and that amount could reach $8 billion.
The reopening of factories in Shanghai is critical for Apple and many other tech companies as we head into what should have been a good year for tech purchases.
A combination of supply constraints that drive up inflation around the world and souring consumer sentiment about the economy in many places is making it less likely that customers, who might otherwise be financially secure, are looking to make big investments in technology.
If Apple’s MacBook Air upgrade fails to raise interest in this release, 7 million units sold could be an optimistic estimate on Apple’s part, and one that could lead to a glut of MacBook Airs that fewer people are willing to buy right now. After all, units shipped are not the same thing as units sold.
