Apple is reportedly preparing to delay the launch of its next-generation smartphones.
According to insiders who spoke to reputable Japanese news website Nikkei, the company has held discussions about delaying the launch of the iPhone 12 “by months” because of fears over how well the iPhone would sell in the current climate.
Supply chain managers have also warned Apple of “practical hurdles” they would need to overcome to release a new range of smartphones by September.
“Supply chain constraint aside, Apple is concerned that the current situation would significantly lower consumer appetite to upgrade their phones, which could lead to a tame reception of the first 5G iPhone,” said a source told Nikkei.
“They need the first 5G iPhone to be a hit.”
The Cupertino company is monitoring outbreaks in key markets like Europe and the United States on a day-by-day basis, assessing whether it would be appropriate to delay the launch of the devices.
Apple will reportedly make a final decision on delaying the iPhone by May.
According to Nikkei, the development of the new iPhones has been majorly affected by travel restrictions to key locations like China and the United States, and that the company has yet to develop a “concrete prototype,” meaning a delay is now “looming” over the firm.
However, other suppliers appear to be going full steam ahead for August, telling journalists that they have been “notified to start shipping in big volumes to meet Apple’s new product launch by the end of August, instead of like in previous years, when it would be sometime in June.”
Though Apple hasn’t totally ruled out the idea of a late-fall launch, it’s now expected that the iPhone will be unveiled in November, December, or perhaps even delayed until 2021.
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