Apple compartió el lado oscuro de la transformación digital durante la entonces pandemia cuando confirmó esta semana que la escasez de componentes afectará su negocio. La señal de socorro llegó durante la llamada de resultados del tercer trimestre de la empresa.</p><h2><strong>Una hemorragia nasal multimillonaria</strong></h2><p>El director financiero de Apple, Luca Maestri, dijo que las limitaciones de suministro afectarían los ingresos de la compañía por una suma de entre 3 y 4 mil millones de dólares, aunque todavía predice un crecimiento de dos dígitos para la compañía. Pero la mayor demanda de productos de Apple combinada con la escasez global de semiconductores significa que la oferta será limitada. Si bien hasta cierto punto es un buen problema, sigue siendo un problema que Apple necesita solucionar.
"It's remarkable that the last four quarters for Mac have been their best four quarters ever," Maestri said.
Low-end technology
Apple designs its own processors on the A and M series chips, but these do not appear to be the chips causing the problem. Instead, the challenge is finding less advanced chips for things like displays, ports, and audio. (Not surprisingly, Apple plans to use its own chips in future monitors.) "Most of the limitations we see are of the variety that I think others are seeing, what I would characterize as an industry shortage," Apple CEO Tim Cook said. Apple is also experiencing a supply-demand imbalance as iPhones, iPads and Macs plummet (usually virtual) off the shelves. The move to remote work (at least for most well-meaning companies) results in a quick replacement cycle, especially since many existing PCs are at the end of their useful lives right now. "We do have some shortages on top of that, where the demand has been so great and beyond our own expectations that it's hard to get all the parts within the time frame we're trying to get."
The world (digitally) transformed
While much of the problem has been created by the worsening US-China trade relationship, it's also true that less-advanced processors have never been in greater demand. These are seeing rapid deployment everywhere from the use of drones to track livestock to monitoring infrastructure and smart devices in smart homes. Medical equipment, vehicles, and even some cables contain low-end chips. Apple mentioned three different companies investing in new technology for this new world during the tax appeal:
- MassMutual offers MacBook Pros M1 to all of its employees and equips all conference rooms with Mac minis M1.
- Italgas, Italy's largest natural gas company, is replacing every employee's Windows laptop with a MacBook Air M1.
- In Southeast Asia, Grab is rolling out Mac M1 across the enterprise.
The need to work remotely during the pandemic has rapidly accelerated the current trend of digital transformation, as companies of all stripes seek to put intelligence into their businesses, both for profit and for short-term efficiencies, and to enable the remote management of these assets. This is clearly what is happening. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) predicts that global semiconductor sales will generate $527.200 billion this year (an increase of 19,7%). SIA President and CEO John Neuffer said: “The global chip market is expected to grow dramatically in 2021 and 2022, as semiconductors increasingly become part of the innovative technologies of today and tomorrow. .
But transformation is not universally available
For businesses, this makes it all the more vital that any project to inject intelligence into existing parts of the business is credibly scrutinized before action is taken; in this environment, a failed digital transformation project will be even more expensive. It also creates a new barrier to universality, since as the cost of connected solutions inevitably rises, small businesses will not be able to take advantage of digital opportunities, leading to more profit for large companies. What's also interesting about this is that a lack of access to processors can hinder innovation. Apple wouldn't say at all whether the processor shortage delayed any of its product launch plans, but there was strong speculation that it might unveil new MacBook Pro models at WWDC last month. This did not happen, which begs the question: Was this non-appearance based on these restrictions?
Will the offer slow down innovation?
In a way, it doesn't matter too much; Apple ships products when they're ready. It's a new consensus that with the introduction of new Macs and new models of M-series processors, we're seeing a performance renaissance on the platform. But what could matter is how much of Apple's broader plans are affected by this shortage, especially the long-awaited Apple Glass product that we expect/don't expect/expect to see the light of day in 2022. Chances are, Apple has already taken steps to resolve the problem. The company has a roadmap for its product launch, and as a product-driven company, senior management will already be working with manufacturing partners to create alternative supply chains. There is an opportunity to unlock such investment, as new facilities are able to use new technologies (especially around rare earth recycling) as Apple continues its efforts to develop closed-loop manufacturing processes and become carbon neutral across the board. supply chain by 2030... Follow me on Twitter or join me on the AppleHolic bar & grill and Apple discussion groups on MeWe.
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