With the holiday season upon us, many people are considering purchasing an iPhone 12. But you may need to wait patiently.

That's because Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is suffering from a shortage of power management chips for its new smartphones. The reason for this is said to be that the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the supply chain, and trade restrictions are also causing chip supply problems.

This could result in a shortage of iPhone 12 models in November and December. Apple is already reportedly suffering supply chain problems due to the COVID-19 disruption, hence the iPhone 12 series was unveiled in October instead of September, the usual Apple phone launch. And the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be released in November.

Bloomberg noted that Apple CEO Tim Cook had previously warned about such component shortages, but the power management chip was not specifically mentioned.

The power management chip may seem like a very boring part of the iPhone 12, especially given that the A14 Bionic chipset is a slice of silicon to get excited about thanks to its big power boost. However, the new iPhone comes with 5G connectivity, which could put a huge strain on battery consumption. Therefore, a power management chip is needed to reduce such energy consumption.

In a battery life test of the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 lasted 8 hours 25 minutes and the iPhone 12 Pro 9 hours 6 minutes when using 5G, when surfing the web continuously via cellular with the screen brightness at 150 nits. Both models lasted longer with 4G connections, which is not a great result, but it does show how important power management is in 5G phones.

The reported shortage of these power management chips is concerning, as it means that iPhone 12 inventory could be quite tight in the next month or so. And that could happen at a time when people are getting ready to spend on holiday shopping.

Apple will then bring the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max to market, both of which require a power management chip, which could make the problem even worse. This could put Apple in the awkward position of balancing which iPhone 12 model to prioritize to get the chip. This could manifest itself in the form of longer-than-normal wait times to get an iPhone 12.

Nevertheless, Apple has broadened its supply chain in recent years and may be working quickly to overcome these inventory issues and ensure that there are no real disruptions in the supply of iPhone 12 devices.

Asian publication Nikkei reported that one way Apple is combating the iPhone 12 parts shortage is to take iPad components and use them to manufacture iPhone 12 Pro handsets.

Since the iPad Air 4 has an A14 Bionic chip, that chip could easily be taken from the tablet and used in the silicon heart of the iPhone 12. Also, since the iPad Pro 2020 has a LiDAR scanner, it can be taken out and used in the rear camera array of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The iPad is naturally less popular than the iPhone. Therefore, such a move is definitely a shrewd one by Apple.

Furthermore, to counter the overall shortage of iPhone 12 devices, Apple appears to have increased production of iPhone 11 and iPhone SE 2020 devices. Both are great phones, and the SE in particular offers the most affordable way to get an iPhone. But we are skeptical that they are a temporary fix for the iPhone 12.

Of course, Apple is notoriously tight-lipped, so we will have to wait and see if these reports bear fruit. Either way, be prepared to wait a while to get your hands on the iPhone 12.