Title: Chip shortage, explained: Why it's impacting car prices, tech items
Headings: The microchip shortage explained: How it's impacting car prices and the tech industry
The microchip shortage explained: How it's impacting car prices and the tech industry
Michael Liedtke, Tom Krisher
Is the pandemic to blame?
Are there other factors at work?
Why is the auto industry being hit so hard?
How are automakers dealing with the shortage?
Will this impact my ability to buy a new car this year?
Will other popular products be affected this year?
What will prevent another chip shortage?

Content: Social Security recipients now receiving stimulus checks
These snags are likely to frustrate consumers who can’t find the vehicle they want and sometimes find themselves settling for a lower-end models without as many fancy electronic features. And it threatens to leave a big dent in the auto industry, which by some estimates stands to lose $60 billion in sales during the first half of his year. “We have been hit by the perfect storm, and it’s not going away any time soon,” said Baird technology analyst Ted Mortonson, who said he has never seen such a serious shortage in nearly 30 years tracking the chip industry. Is the pandemic to blame? Sort of. The pandemic prompted chip factories to start shutting down early last year, particularly overseas, where the majority of the processors are made. By the time they started to reopen, they had a backlog of orders to fill. That wouldn’t have been as daunting if chipmakers weren’t then swamped by unforeseen demand. For instance, no one entered 2020 expecting to see a spike in personal computer sales after nearly a decade of steady decline. But that’s what happened after government lockdowns forced millions of office workers to do their jobs from home while students mostly attended their classes remotely.