After several leaks suspected of possible delays in the arrival of the iPhone 12 with 5G, a new report claims that the iPhone 12 lineup will not be delayed.
We’ve seen many different analysts and reports go back and forth on the subject of whether Apple will be able to get its 2020 iPhones out the door this fall. With coronavirus causing problems around the globe and travel restrictions in place, Apple hasn’t been able to go through its usual iPhone preparations.
However, Bloomberg‘s Debby Wu explains that Apple still plans to release the next-gen iPhone on time, suggesting that Foxconn — Apple’s biggest iPhone manufacturing partner — is good to go, despite coronavirus.
“Signs are that Apple’s Chinese-centric manufacturing — of which Hon Hai [Foxconn] is the linchpin — is slowly getting back on track,” reads the report. “The next iPhones with 5G wireless capabilities remain on schedule to launch in the fall, partly because mass production isn’t slated to begin until the summer, people familiar with matter have said.”
And with Foxconn recovering, there’s hope that the production of the iPhone 12 could be unaffected, especially because the manufacturing of the device was supposed to kick off in the summer anyway. In other words, Apple hopes that the production impact would be very reduced to a point where a delay isn’t necessary.
While the iPhone 12 may be safe, that doesn’t mean that Apple and other major players in the electronics industry will be spared from the effects of the coronavirus. As Bloomberg notes, “the U.S. company and its partners spend months or even years sourcing components around the world and any disruptions to that complex network could delay future devices.” We might not see the fallout of those disruptions this fall, but Apple (and countless other companies) may have to adjust their release schedules in the coming months and years as a result.
Despite Foxconn’s quick recovery from the coronavirus, the company has been forced to slash its 2020 revenue projections. Other key players in Apple’s “carefully calibrated production chain” have also suffered, while Apple itself was forced to revise its forecast for the current quarter.
Foxconn is reportedly exploring ways to diversify its manufacturing base in an effort to better deal with similar disruptions in the future.
