The iPhone 8 is set to be a monster seller for Apple, and that’s not so good if you’re a rival handset vendor in China, where smartphone component inventory levels are at an all-time low.
Currently in demand parts include smartphone memory, camera sensors and batteries. And high-volume production of new iPhones in the third quarter is likely to affect availability of fingerprint sensors, metal cases and assorted display components.
Compounding the problem for rival manufacturers is the fact that many components were already available in lower-than-usual quantities, thanks to adjustments made over the past two quarters to reflect a decline in sales.
Fortunately, a few forward-thinking companies planned ahead of this eventuality. According to a new report, smartphone vendors in China have been building up their inventories of handset parts in preparation of the launch of the new iPhones.
Still, with the iPhone 8 likely to be Apple’s biggest hit in years, things could get worse before they get better. Look out, low-end Android handset makers: Winter is coming!
For a look at what we’re expecting to see in this year’s iPhone refresh, check out our handy guide: Everything we think we know about the iPhone 8.
Source: Digitimes
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Rivals suffer as Apple sucks up smartphone component supplies”
“Currently in demand parts include smartphone memory”
Are you talking about memory, or memory?
been true since the beginning, components that don’t meet apple’s quality control are sold to android sellers.