Published November 17, 2014
THE SHORTAGES: Customers must wait for some smart phones including HTC Corp.'s EVO 4G and Motorola Inc.'s Droid X. Manufacturers expect delays through the year.
MISSING PARTS: It's generally a problem with a component here and there, but if just one of the 20 to 30 critical chips that go into a smart phone is unavailable, the whole production line falters.
THE REASON: Manufacturers that produce these chips scaled back investment and capacity during the recession. Now, they can't scale up production fast enough.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/summary-box-hip-shortage-set-off-by-recession-makes-smart-phones-more-scarce