JP Morgan: Apple Supply Chain Stabilized (iPad Not Included)

30 AUGUST 2022 - Lead times for Apple products are looking pretty good - iPad not included. That’s the word from JP Morgan’s Global Product Lead Time Tracker, according to a piece from Apple Insider.

It makes sense that iPad waits would be long - it’s been hot in China, don’t you know. Otherwise, the piece says, “lead times for orders generally ‘moderated’ or ‘remained stable’ for all product categories…”

Off the shelf, you’re looking at roughly a week for a Mac, according to JP Morgan. The wait for Apple Watch is about four-days. The wait for an iPhone is a couple of days. And the wait for a pair of AirPods is down to about a day.

A couple of points to note - First, these are global average wait times. Your mileage may vary, depending on where you measure those miles. Second - it’s all about to get chucked out the window. Apple will almost definitely announce new iPhones and Apple Watches next week. Once orders begin, waits for those will likely stretch out weeks, as they do every time new iPhones and Apple Watches are introduced. That said, the current wait time for various products is not useless information. If we can be relatively certain that Apple’s supply chain is running smoothly, wait times for new products will probably be read as indicative of demand, rather than a hard to read mix of demand and supply chain issues.

iPad not included.