In a nutshell: Apple up to this point has largely seemed immune to the global chip and component shortages that have plagued other hardware makers, but it would seem that the company's time ahead of the situation may have come to an end. A quick check of Apple's website reveals that virtually all of the company's recently announced products have lengthy wait times.
An order placed today for an iPhone 13 Pro, for example, won't ship for another 4-5 weeks. The standard iPhone 13 - if ordered today - isn't scheduled for delivery until early November. The new iPad mini has an estimated order window of November 19 - November 29. A new 14-inch MacBook Pro with Apple's M1 Pro chip, which officially launches on October 26, won't arrive until November 12 - November 19. Even Apple's polishing cloth has a 10-12 week delay.
It's not just newer devices that are seeing shipping delays, either. A higher-end configuration of the MacBook Air ordered today won't arrive until November 5 - November 9.
Apple currently finds itself in a rather unusual situation in the final quarter of 2021. The predicament isn't the worst problem to have, but it's not exactly ideal, either, and could very well undermine what might have otherwise been a record-setting holiday quarter.
Based on shipping estimates today, it appears as though orders should still arrive in time for the holiday gift-giving season. That said, I probably wouldn't procrastinate too much, as shipping windows could easily slip to January and beyond in the coming weeks.
Image credit Julian O'hayon