Supply shortages are affecting an array of industries right now, and Apple is not immune. In addition to shortages impacting the Mac and iPad, the Apple Watch is also being indirectly affected as third-party accessory makers struggle to obtain supply of Apple Watch chargers.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reports that supply shortages have hit some Apple Watch accessory makers. Smaller accessory companies are reportedly facing issues acquiring supply of Apple’s proprietary charging pucks to integrate them into their own accessories.
Apple’s own first-party Apple Watch chargers do not appear to be affected by supply shortages, with different lengths and styles of chargers readily available from the Apple Online Store. An Apple Watch charger from Native Union, on the other hand, is currently backordered until August through the Apple Online Store.
Some smaller accessory companies told me that Apple’s proprietary watch charging pucks, which are available for third-party companies to integrate, have been in short supply, delaying some shipments. It’s unclear what has led to the shortages, but it could be another knock-on effect of pandemic-stricken supply chain issues that have occurred over the past year.
Apple will report its Q3 2021 earnings on July 27. The company has warned that iPad and Mac constraints could cost the company somewhere to the tune of $3 billion to $4 billion in revenue for the fiscal third quarter
