Wesley Hilliard
Multiple supply chain analysts suggest future iPhones may see release dates slip by as much as two months due to coronavirus concerns.
In an investor note from Bank of America, it is suggested the "iPhone 12" that may feature 5G will be delayed by a month. The information comes from supply chain expert Elliot Lan, who also suggests delays of up to two months for the unannounced "iPhone SE 2."
Another analyst at Bank of America, Wamsi Mohan, says that launch timing will depend on the production ramp-up between now and May. The investor note contents were detailed in a report from Bloomberg which does not offer much more information on the subject.
The COVID-19 coronavirus has continued to spread over the past few months, and has since reached a global infection total of over 100,000 people. The CDC says around half of those infected have recovered, however.
The news of supply chain restraints and delayed shipments is nothing new. AppleInsider has been covering the spread of the virus and how it may affect Apple since January.
The latest reports place the coronavirus in the United States, which has caused a large shift in economic conditions. New York City retailers were saying they no longer received new shipments of iPhone 11 models, and blame the conditions in China.
Apple has already suggested their staff work from home, which is becoming the norm as the outbreak spreads. After similar events in China, tablet sales went up overall, as people adjusted to working from home. It is yet to be seen how quarantine in the United States will affect sales of Apple products.
Despite all of this, Tim Cook is certain that the situation is under control and that the supply constraints will only be felt for a short time. The Apple supply chain is diverse and can be manipulated to avoid such catastrophe, the issue is, now that the coronavirus is outside of China, it is very hard to avoid.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
23 Comments
Apple is so DOOMED!!!!! They'll be bankrupt end of this year. Just wait and see! /s
This begs the question: Will the spring 2020 Apple product announcements be delayed?
I work in a non-tech industry that will be about as highly affected by the virus as you can imagine (under NDA, blah blah).
The whole mood around the company is surprisingly upbeat. They're basically writing off the first two quarters of the year; they're well-financed, so it's not really that big a deal. They're focusing on buckling down and using the opportunity to improve the product and knock it out of the park this fall.
Apple could similarly view this is as an opportunity. If iPhone releases get punted to late November, that gives them a huge window to really nail down all the issues with the new OS, which we all know has been turning into an annual disaster.