Employee travel restrictions to China may lead Apple to delay the launch of the iPhone 12 until October, according to Taiwanese publication DigiTimes, claiming that the coronavirus outbreak has lead to Apple’s usual production schedule being thrown off track, and Apple engineers being unable to travel to factories to perform their pre-production checks.
The report follows after Bank of America analysts claimed over the weekend that the “iPhone 12” and upcoming “iPhone SE 2” could be delayed later than usual, possibly by “a few months,” depending on how production ramps back up in April and May.
DigiTimes claim that as a result of Apple’s rescheduled EVT procedures, the next-generation iPhone lineup may not launch until October.
Related supply chain makers had originally expected the rescheduled EVT procedures to be carried out by the end of March enabling the kick-off of volume production of the new iPhone devices in June, said the sources, adding that a further delay of EVT tests to the end of April could postpone the volume production by another 1-2 months. – Judging from the revised EVT schedule, Apple’s product launch for the next-generation iPhone devices could to be postponed to October, said the sources.
It remains to be seen how big of an impact the coronavirus outbreak will have on Apple’s supply chain and product roadmap.
Image: EverythingApplePro + Max Weinbach.