Apple could choke off Android supply in the U.S. with iPhone 6's heavy shipping volume

September 8, 2014

It might be hard to find another smartphone readily in stock on store shelves other than the iPhone for the next few months leading into the busy holiday season. Thanks to Apple already ordering heavy shipping capacity for the anticipated iPhone 6 models out of China, where most phones are manufactured these days, couriers like FedEx and UPS may not have capacity to accommodate Apple's rivals.TechCrunch reports:

According to several sources, Apple has already begun flexing its supply chain muscles by shipping so many units of upcoming devices from its manufacturing facilities to sales outlets that it is causing delays for other manufacturers.

Apple shipments via major concerns like FedEx and UPS are said to be 'incredibly high' for the holiday quarter, pointing to a massive number of iPhones and whatever other units Apple announces for the fall season incoming. The company is apparently flooding its channels with devices, causing shipments for other 'top tier' device makers to be delayed to make way for Apple products.

Apple has used its strategy to lock out rivals from important components in the past, and now it appears that such strategy will apply to shipping and logistics. During the iPod days, Apple's high order of flash memory had frozen competitors out of the market and its partnership with GT Advanced Technologies may make it difficult for rivals to offer lab-grown sapphire displays on their smartphones.

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