Apple is reportedly shifting back the manufacturing of its 2020 flagship iPhones by a month.
The California based tech giant has encountered delays due to the coronavirus pandemic that closed its factories in China earlier this year. Apple is expected to release four new smartphones this year.
The devices will come in three different sizes, one will be 5.4 inches, two at 6.1 inches and another model is 6.7 inches with some of the handsets supporting 5G. Apple has regularly revealed the new iPhone models in September for years. In order to hit the target, the firm must start ramping up manufacturing early in the summer and mounting the inventory by August.
However, its factories in China were ordered to close down in February due to the coronavirus spreading the country and production came to a halt.
Although Apple would still come out with new phones in the July-to-September period, the mass-production will skim back by about a month.
The delay of the flagship smartphones has been predicted by investors and analysts as early as February. Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs suggested Apple may not release the iPhone 12 models until early November.
While Apple’s chief assembler, Foxconn, says that it will be able to meet the demand for Apple’s expected September launch, factors in other parts of Apple’s supply chain may prevent that timeline.
Additionally, Apple has sounded concerned about whether buyers will be willing to buy a premium phone as the economy worsens and many have their salaries decreased or lose their jobs entirely.
Goldman Sachs expects iPhone shipments to drop 36 percent during the third quarter due to coronavirus-related lockdowns around the world and downgraded Apple Inc stock to ‘sell.’
Earlier this month, Apple revealed a smaller iPhone priced at $399, lowering the starting price for the company’s smartphone line to broaden its appeal among budget-conscious customers.
