The global chip shortage is starting to take its toll on Apple

Apple is no longer able to avoid the chip shortage issue.

What you need to know

• A new report says that the global chip shortage is now affecting Apple.
• MacBook and iPad production are starting to experience delays.

Apple was able to avoid the global chip shortage for a while, but that time is now over.

As reported by Nikkei Asia, production of some models of Apple's MacBook and iPad lineup have been delayed due to a lack of the components needed in order to build them.

Chip shortages have caused delays in a key step in MacBook production -- the mounting of components on printed circuit boards before final assembly -- sources briefed on the matter told Nikkei Asia. Some iPad assembly, meanwhile, was postponed because of a shortage of displays and display components, sources said.

As a result of the delay, Apple has pushed back a portion of component orders for the two devices from the first half of this year to the second half, the people said. Industry sources and experts say the delays are a sign that the chip shortage is growing more serious and could impact smaller tech players even more heavily.

According to the report, the issue so far is limited to MacBook and iPad models and has not yet impacted iPhone production. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 13 lineup on its usual release schedule this fall.

Production plans for Apple's iconic iPhones have so far not been affected by the supply shortage, although the supply of some components for the devices is "quite tight," according to two sources. Overall, the component shortage remains a supply chain issue for Apple and has not yet had an impact on product availability for consumers, Nikkei has learned.

Wallace Gou, president and CEO of Silicon Motion, said that the chip shortage is currently trending in the wrong direction and could cause even more serious issues for smaller hardware companies in the coming quarter.

"We really don't see an end to this shortage, and things could be even worse, looking ahead to the end of the June quarter, as some smaller tech players could run out of some critical inventories to build their products and need to scale back production."

Apple reportedly did not comment on the story.