The shutdown of Quanta's Shanghai factory has caused a severe shortage of Apple laptops

The negative effects of the shutdown and employee riots at Quanta's Shanghai factory, Apple's largest laptop assembly plant, have emerged. The new Macbook Pro laptops are experiencing serious supply disruptions. Not only are there severe shortages in the distribution channels, but it now takes at least two months to get the goods if you place an order through Apple's official website. This has become the Apple product line that has been hit hardest by this wave of zero-to-zero lockdown in mainland China, and it may also drag down Quanta's performance.

Quanta emphasized that it is currently working hard to speed up production in the hope of shortening the time consumers have to wait to get their Macbook Pro. According to actual tests by reporters, if you ordered a 14-inch or 16-inch Macbook Pro equipped with Apple's self-developed M1 chip on Apple's official website yesterday (8), you will have to wait until June 29 to July 13 to get it. Moreover, the time displayed on the official website does not include the possibility of delayed shipment, which means that even if you place an order, you may not receive it on time, highlighting the overall chaotic supply situation.

Industry analysts said the shortage of the new Macbook Pro was due to the fact that the main assembly plant, Quanta Computer's Shanghai plant, was previously subject to local lockdowns, which hampered the operation of the production line, and that the recent employee riots had caused workers to lose interest in their work. Apple's "lack of stock" also meant that Quanta Computer's shipments were hit hard, which also affected its performance.

Due to the previous large-scale lockdown in mainland China, the industry paid close attention to the production status of Apple hardware. The market was relieved that the Zhengzhou plant of Hon Hai Group, the largest iPhone assembly plant, was not affected. However, it is now reported that the supply of Macbook Pro is in chaos, making it the Apple product line that has been hit hardest by this wave of zero-to-zero lockdown in mainland China.

Quanta has about 40,000 employees and eight factories in Shanghai. On April 13, the company announced that its Shanghai factory was temporarily suspended. On April 18, it announced that about 2,000 employees had returned to work, with a resumption rate of more than 5%. The resumption rate on April 22 is expected to be 15%. Among them, Quanta's F1 and F3 factories in Shanghai are gradually resuming operations. However, judging from the current shortage of MacBook Pro, the actual shipment of Quanta's Shanghai factory is still severely hampered.

Foreign media 9to5mac also reported that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro seem to be too popular. Regardless of whether you place an order for a customized or non-customized version, you will have to wait until at least July for the product to be shipped. In addition, many users who placed orders as early as February will also have their orders delayed until July.

Another consumer posted on Twitter that he ordered a MacBook Pro in March but was asked to wait 30 days for delivery, and was recently informed that the delivery time would be extended to 45 days. Someone replied to the tweet that he could not find the product in stock even if he went to Apple Stores in Oregon or Washington, USA.

Consumers in Taiwan are also complaining. Some netizens complained on the PTT Mac section that they have not yet received payment for their pre-ordered MacBook Pro and are afraid that they will receive a delay notice.

Analysts believe that the shutdown of Quanta's Shanghai factory will seriously affect Apple's MacBook shipments, because Quanta is almost the only OEM partner for Apple's MacBook. Among Apple's major products, MacBook will be the most affected in mainland China during the shutdown period due to Quanta's suspension of production.