A new report indicates Apple is expecting shipments of their new MacBook Pro lineup to remain strong through at least the end of the year, as DigiTimes reports the company has increased orders from its parts and component manufacturers.
Apple has been placing orders for new MacBook Pros recently and the strong shipments are expected to last until the end of 2016, since Apple is optimistic about the sales in the fourth quarter, according to sources from the upstream supply chain, who added that MacBook shipments in 2017 are also expected to stay at the same level as in 2016.
DigiTimes’ sources indicate Apple wasn’t initially very aggressive in placing new MacBook Pro orders, delaying the debut of the new notebooks due to low yield rates for such components as hinges, batteries and keyboards. However, Apple soon began increasing orders after the new MacBook Pros successful debut in late October.
DigiTimes reports “some market watchers” expect MacBook shipments to reach 15 million units in 2016, and also expect shipment numbers to remain strong through 2017.
In related news, the publication indicates Taiwanese ODM manufacturer Wistron has now landed orders for the OLED Touch Bar strip used in the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models. The component is said to be hard to build, and the original supplier, unnamed in the report, was finding it difficult to meet demand for the component.
The low yield numbers for the keyboard component is said to have partially been to blame for the MacBook Pro’s delayed launch. However, the yield rates are continuing to improve, leading to increased shipments of the new notebooks.
