Apple is reportedly expecting high demand for its upcoming revamped 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, as it has enlisted a second supplier to make the mini-LED displays used in the new laptops.
DigiTimes reports that China-based Luxshare Precision Industry is expected to become a second provider in the fourth quarter of 2021. Apple had previously only contracted SMT, or Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology as its supplier for SMT processes in the mini-LED 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the upcoming MacBook Pros.
A global chip shortage and a continued global health crisis has caused Apple and its suppliers to have faced challenges the past year in maintaining reliable production of new devices.
DigiTimes says the new MacBook Pros are expected to launch in the fourth quarter of the year. The publication had previously claimed that we’d see an end-of-third-quarter launch for the new models, but early fourth quarter looks to be more in line with industry expectations.