The government shutdown has people across the country concerned. People are out of jobs, National Parks are closed, college football games are canceled and more, as the ripple effects are starting to be felt. According to an article from ComputerWorld, if the shutdown lingers, Apple could be affected as well.
The problem arises because the FCC has been forced to send non-essential employees home. This puts a halt to several services including equipment authorizations for new products. This means companies bringing in new electronic devices to American consumers will not be able to get FCC approval.
"Apple's new iPhones have already achieved FCC approval, but it is unlikely (though not impossible) its iPads have secured this – Apple typically leaves such things to the eleventh hour, partly because it knows such approvals are in the public eye – though there's a chance management had the chance to plan ahead for this," the article reads.
This news of a potential delay in the launch of the new iPad comes on the heels of a Reuters report that found the iPad Mini being upgraded with a Retina Display could only be in limited supply if it's not delayed until 2014. The supply chain is only now ramping production, which would more than likely mean the company misses most of the holiday shopping season.
This is not news that companies who have an iPad deployment want to hear. IT departments will need to keep an eye out to see how this all plays out.
