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Warning: Hot gaming consoles and iPhone 13 are in short supply this holiday season

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
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By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
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November 4, 2021, 8:00 PM ET

If your holiday plans involve buying a video game console, you may be out of luck. And if you want the latest Apple iPhone, you may have to wait longer than usual.

Tech supply chain problems, from sourcing electronic components to delivering finished products, means that some people won’t get the holiday gifts they want. But as several tech analysts told Fortune, many popular electronics will still be available. It’s just that they’ll cost more and, in many cases, come from resellers who’ve set up shop on eBay, Amazon, and QVC. 

“I think the biggest challenge for most consumers will not be finding something, but it will be finding something at a price that they’re willing to pay,” said Stephen Baker, the vice president and industry advisor at research firm NPD Group.

Here are some top consumer devices in short supply this holiday season:

Sony PlayStation 5

Anyone who’s shopped for Sony’s latest PlayStation video game console knows how difficult finding one is. As soon asBest Buy, Target, and GameStop put consoles online, they sell out. People operating automated bots do much of the buying so they can then resell the consoles for hundreds of dollars over list price.

Unfortunately, the situation isn’t expected to change before the holidays, and for that matter, into 2022. Sony is struggling to produce and ship enough consoles to meet the demand, largely due to component and chip shortages.

AMD, one of the chipmakers that Sony relies on, is facing major bottlenecks in its supply chain. AMD CEO Lisa Su said in September that the first half of next year will be “likely tight,” meaning the chip shortage will continue.

“The pandemic has just taken demand to a new level,” Su said.

Microsoft Xbox Series X 

Buying a Microsoft’s Xbox Series X gaming console is just as difficult as it is for a PS5. You may need to pay hundreds of dollars extra to a reseller or continually monitor online stores in case they get some inventory. You may also want to keep an eye on Twitter, where people sometimes post when they notice retailers with consoles in stock.

Microsoft Xbox chief Phil Spencer said in a recent interview that the computer chip shortage is partly to blame. He also mentioned unspecified “pinch points,” meaning a shortage of other components or transportation issues needed to get consoles to market.

“We’re working hard to bring them to market but it’s going to be a challenge that we’ll work through for quite a while,” Spencer said.

Nintendo Switch

Like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, buying the Nintendo Switch video game console, including the higher-end OLED model featuring a better screen, will be difficult for the holidays. Nintendo manufactured 24 million Switch devices in its fiscal year through March, far fewer than the 30 million it had originally planned, according to a report by Japanese newspaper Nikkei that cited anonymous sources. A Nintendo spokesperson told the publication that the company is assessing the impact of the component shortages on its production, but didn’t provide more details. 

The OLED model is particularly difficult to find because it debuted in October, which means only a limited number have been produced. Major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop sell out quickly, and provide few updates about when they get more in stock. If you want to fork out more money, you can always try a reseller. But you can expect to pay over $500 versus a normal retail price of $350.

Apple’s new iPhone 13 and MacBook Pros

Apple usually has ample supplies of its new iPhones and MacBook Pro laptops. But not this year. After debuting iPhone 13 in September and a new MacBook Pro in October, Apple has acknowledged that some products may be a challenge to buy as quickly as previous years. Supply chain problems are to blame.

In Apple’s online store, a message says “Shop early for the best selection of holiday favorites,” implying that some items may out of stock closer to the holidays.

Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC in October that “supply chain constraints” had cost the company “around $6 billion” during its fiscal fourth quarter.

“The supply constraints were driven by the industry wide chip shortages that have been talked about a lot, and COVID-related manufacturing disruptions in Southeast Asia,” Cook said.

A report by Nikkei citing unnamed sources said Apple has reduced production of iPad, which are less popular, in order to shift those components for use in iPhone 13.

Avi Greengart, president and lead analyst for research firm Techsponential, said Apple’s supply chain problems are likely less severe than for other smartphone and consumer device makers. That’s because Apple buys huge volumes of components in advance, meaning it stockpiles more than it immediately needs, which comes in handy during a component shortage.

In a normal year, Apple customers would probably receive their new iPhones within a week or two of ordering. This year, however, shipping times may be extended to a few weeks, Greengart said. One way to avoid a delay, he noted, is to order a phone with a slightly different configuration than you had your mind set on. Although pricier, phones with more memory may be shipped more quickly.

“In some cases, that’s just not the end of the world,” Greengart said.

More tech coverage from Fortune:

  • Apple’s recent privacy tweak cost social media giants $10 billion
  • Fortnite shuts down in China, the latest foreign video game to face off with regulators—and surrender
  • China’s Singles Day already tops Black Friday. Now holiday creep is making the world’s biggest shopping event even bigger
  • Bugatti and Rimac: Blistering speedster and EV hypercar startup join forces ahead of a possible IPO
  • Mark Zuckerberg should quit Facebook, whistleblower Frances Haugen says

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About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
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Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

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