Due to COVID-19 coronavirus supply constraints, Apple has limited bulk online purchases, including the number of iPhones one customer can buy from its online store to two devices per model per person. Other products, including iPad Pro models announced on Wednesday, also have the two-unit restriction.
Apple’s online store began limiting U.S. customers to two units of each iPhone model per person this week. Customers can still buy more than two iPhones in one order, but they would have to be different models — for instance, two iPhone 11s and two iPhone 11 Pros.
The restriction applies to the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Max. Other products, including iPad Pro models announced on Wednesday, also have purchase limits…
The purchase limits are a visible effect of the virus’s effect on Apple’s operations and supply chain.
MacDailyNews Take: The Apple Retail Store Purchase Policies’ “Product Availability” section, which has been unchanged for quite some time and in effect since before the COVID-19 outbreak discusses potential limits of bulk online purchases:
Given the popularity and/or supply constraints of some of our products, Apple may have to limit the number of products available for purchase. Trust us, we’re building them as fast as we can. Apple reserves the right to change quantities available for purchase at any time, even after you place an order. Furthermore, there may be occasions when Apple confirms your order but subsequently learns that it cannot supply the ordered product. In the event we cannot supply a product you ordered, Apple will cancel the order and refund your purchase price in full. – Apple Inc.
Any news on production from the Mac Pro? Are orders being filled?
It will be interesting to know how bottlenecked that production line is due to Chinese components.
Is anyone outside of Apple still questioning the wisdom of a well diversified supply chain and multiple regional final assembly locations? Yes on paper that looks like more overhead cost and logistics, but long term those are more than offset by risk reduction.
It is possible and profitable for Apple to own its final production, if only Apple leadership had more risk planning experience. At the very least, globally scattered production facilities and greater ability to build things in-house could allow for mitigation by having rolling shutdowns based on local conditions. Sadly, instead Cookie has decided that all Apple hardware is dependent on Chinese production. While Tim Apple can get anything he wants in the USA with a perfect phone call — no, excuse me, a fawning tweet so that others can see the brown nosing — to his hamberder golfing buddy, Apple has zero influence over how Xi manages the pandemic there. In many countries, businesses are just beginning to furlough workers. Those people out of work won’t rush to the Apple Store to get the latest gadgets. The next quarter at least is going to be a huge downer.