The year is about to end, and the global semiconductor shortage is wreaking havoc for tech companies as well as automakers. The situation has not improved a bit, with products such as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch OLED and some iPhone models still difficult to buy. The latest to join the queue is the Ola S1, which has been delayed by at least a month due to lack of computer chips.
With not enough chips available, companies are either delaying the launch or expect the products to be out of stock as soon as they become available. Experts suggest that the situation will only worsen during the peak holiday season when demand rapidly outstrips supply.
Here are the products that are badly hit by the global semiconductor shortage.
playstation 5
When the PlayStation 5 made its debut late last year, it sold out and immediately became the most popular device on the market. While its limited retail availability was always on the cards due to high demand, no one knew that a semiconductor shortage would put the console out of reach for literally millions of customers. Even to this day, it’s almost impossible to get a PS5 because restox sell out quickly. The lack of a chip can be blamed for making the PS5 so tough that it has been delayed with shipping difficulties.
Since Sony Unable to bring more PS5s to market, scalpers have taken advantage of the issue by reselling the console for prices higher than the suggested retail price. Despite the ongoing chip shortage, Sony did manage to sell an impressive 13.4m PlayStation 5 consoles worldwide. However, the company recently warned that it expects to make fewer PS5s. In a way, Sony has indicated that it will be very difficult to secure the PS5 this holiday season.
Sunil Nayar, Managing Director, Sony India said, “Semi-conductor shortage is a global phenomenon for the foreseeable future that has impacted various businesses and industries and India is no exception.” indianexpress.com, While Nayyar did not comment on the PS5 restock update, he did say that the company has enough inventory to maintain the supply chain for home entertainment segments such as soundbars and party speakers without disruption in the near future. “At the same time, there is no shortage expected in the personal audio category such as headphones, earphones and Bluetooth speakers,” he added.
read our review playstation 5, if you are interested in learning more about the next generation of consoles.
Ola S1 Electric Scooter. (Image credit: Ola)
Ola S1
Ola’s in-demand S1 electric scooter is facing a semiconductor shortage as the company delayed deliveries by up to a month. The first batch of deliveries were scheduled for the end of November, but have now been pushed back due to a shortage of chips and other key components.
“Due to the global shortage of chipsets and electronic parts, your Ola S1 is experiencing some unavoidable delays,” the company said in an email to customers. “We apologize for the delay and assure you that we are ramping up production as soon as possible so that you can get your Ola S1 at the earliest,” said the email, which was viewed by indianexpress.com has gone. The estimated delivery timeline of the S1 will now be between December 15-31. Despite the delay, the company still offers test drives in major metro cities and promises to extend test drive availability to customers across 1000 cities by December 15.
Even if Ola manages to deliver the first batch of e-scooters, it will be challenging for the company to meet the strong demand. The low semiconductor supply could further delay the availability of electric scooters, which has been promoted by Bhavish Agarwal, co-founder of Ola. Ola has stopped taking any new bookings for its S1 scooter for now, but the company may resume bookings by December 16, sources told indianexpress.com.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express,
iPhone 13 and MacBook Pro
Unlike other tech companies, Apple doesn’t usually face supply chain issues. But this year is different. After launching the iPhone 13 in September and the new MacBook Pros in October, Apple acknowledged that some of its products might be hard to find this shopping season.
Although, at the time of writing the iPhone 13 series and the new MacBook Pros are available for purchase on Apple’s online store, the situation may change in the coming months. The Cupertino-based tech giant, known for being a champion in the supply chain, said it lost $6 billion last quarter due to chip shortages and manufacturing disruptions.
a report by Nikki Apple, citing unnamed sources, said Apple has cut production of the iPad to move those components for use in the iPhone 13. Chip shortages have affected Apple but not as critical as other companies. Those planning to buy the new iPhone 13 series expect shipping delays on some models especially on the higher end.
Xbox Series X. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
xbox series x
It’s not just PS5, MicrosoftThe Xbox Series X has also been difficult to find in the market. Tech insiders believe that Microsoft did a better job handling the supply of the Xbox Series X initially, but since demand for the console remains high, it’s nearly impossible to buy right now. Microsoft’s Xbox boss Phil Spencer warned in September of the ongoing shortage, saying Xbox supply issues would last through 2022.
The Redmond company doesn’t release sales figures for its Xbox hardware, but experts suggest the Xbox Series X is the fastest-selling Xbox. As in the case of the PS5, the chip crisis has made it difficult to produce enough Xbox Series X. And then there’s the shortage of shipping containers resulting in companies looking at costly alternatives to deliver game consoles from factories to retailers. Sony has reportedly started using air freight to get an increased amount of PS5 stock in the UK.
read our review xbox series x To learn more about what it’s like to play the game on the next generation of consoles.
Nintendo Switch OLED. (image credit: Nintendo)
Nintendo Switch OLED
There aren’t enough switches on the market, and the new model with an OLED screen always seems to be out-to-stock in many parts of the world. The Japanese gaming titan has been badly hit by the chip crisis and the company now expects to sell 24 million Switch consoles by the end of the fiscal year, down from the previous estimate of 25.5 million units. The Switch is a mass-market game console but the ongoing semiconductor shortage is making it difficult to produce enough units.
Unlike Sony or Microsoft, which don’t make a ton of money selling hardware, Nintendo’s business model is different. The company makes a profit on its hardware unit, but also makes cash by selling games specific to the platform. Nintendo was one of the big winners of the global pandemic last year, with the hit game “Animal Crossing” being an example. metaverse-style game where players can create their own world.
steam deck
valve steam deck It is getting delayed too. The portable console was supposed to hit retail shelves this holiday season, but will now launch in February of next year, with no early December release date. Valve is blaming global chip supply issues for the delay. “We are sorry about that – we did our best to work around the global supply chain issues, but due to material shortages, components did not reach our manufacturing facilities in time to meet our initial launch dates. are,” the company said. In a blog post.
Even before the delay it was expected that getting your hands on the Steam deck would be difficult. Valve isn’t to be blamed, but the delay in Steam decks shows that it won’t be easy for many companies to hold onto the supply chain that can’t match Apple’s scale nor launch a new product at the moment. .
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