Citing supply chain sources, Digitimes reports that Apple (AAPL) has stopped placing component orders for its Mac product lines.
Apparently, Cupertino must have had high sales expectations for its Mac series, considering it placed aggressive orders at the end of FY 2012. However, that decision may have proven overly optimistic.
“The suppliers originally expected to finish digesting their Mac inventories in April, but are now stranded waiting for further instructions from Apple,” the report said.
Digitimes’ sources also revealed that Apple’s Mac orders to the supply chain “dropped to almost nothing after the Lunar New Year holidays…”
“Since Apple hardly mis-estimates its shipment forecasts, the sharp order drop may imply that Apple has underestimated the PC industry’s weak status and its iPad products are affecting the PC industry more seriously than it expected.”
The report claims that Apple usually provides shipment forecasts to its suppliers at the beginning of each quarter, but the company has not done so for the second quarter. The lack of information has reportedly left some suppliers concerned that shipments may not resume until late May.
Things for Apple seem to be going from bad to worse. Shares of AAPL fell as much as 6% Wednesday afternoon and hit a new 52-wk low of $398.11. The stock printed the tape below $400 for the first time since December 2011.
Apple’s stock is more than 40% below the all-time high of $705.07 it hit just last September.
h/t Macrumors
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