Nintendo Switch Shortage Might Be Due To Greedy Apple Inc.

As one of the premier video game products in the market right now, the Nintendo Switch is in high demand pretty much everywhere. This has led to considerable shortages, which the company has tried to address as discreetly as possible. However, new information has come to light that Nintendo is having so much trouble replenishing Switch supplies is because Apple has cornered the market for essential parts and does not want to share.

The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which wrote that Nintendo now has to compete with Apple to get the supplies it needs to build more Switch consoles. With the Japanese video game company ramping up production for its hybrid unit and the Cupertino firm set to mass produce iPhone 8s, it’s simply terrible timing.

Parts like NAND flash-memory chips and LCDs are made by only a handful of companies all over the world in the price and production level that both firms need for their products. Unfortunately, both companies need exactly these parts in order to meet the demands of their production line.

As Mac Rumors notes, Nintendo could be looking at manufacturing 20 million units of the Switch by the end of the financial year. Meanwhile, Apple is likely planning on making even more units of the iPhone 8 for the smartphone’s global release.

Simply looking at this problem from the lens of Nintendo, the company’s dilemma stems from the fact that it simply can’t compete with Apple in terms of getting the parts that it needs. Even if it tries other means of acquiring the necessary supplies that it needs, it would require outbidding rivals. If so, Nintendo could be putting itself in a worse position when it loses money with every Switch made.

If this is the case, the company could be looking at a missed production target and a holiday season full of incredibly angry customers. At that point, it will be partly because of Apple’s greed.