Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s new fleet of iPhones will arrive later than September, when customers typically swarm to Apple stores to scoop up the world’s most popular handheld device.
The new iPhones are not being mass produced now because of weakened global demand and disrupted manufacturing around the globe, meaning customers will likely have to wait "about a month" or more to buy some or all of the four new models, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Despite the slowdown, the company has still managed to sneak one new model onto the market ahead of the coming delay.
Last week, Apple launched the second-generation iPhone SE as a cheaper alternative to its more expensive devices — the iPhone 11 starts at $699, and the iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999. The SE starts at $399, and has the same design and processor as the latest model iPhone 11 and an improved camera. Pre-orders were expected to start arriving by last Friday.
The company’s biggest draw, however, typically drops every fall, and this year’s new iPhones will include one with a 5.4-inch screen, two with 6.1-inch screens and a big model with a 6.7-inch screen, according to the company.
But the rollout remains unclear, according to the report, as the company has not revealed which of the “flagship iPhones” will be most impacted by the delay.
TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the top Apple analyst, said earlier this month he thinks Apple’s 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch iPhones will enter mass production in September and that a larger 6.7-inch model wouldn’t be mass produced until October “because this model’s design is the most complicated.”
In January, Susquehanna Polling and Research predicted Apple's release of "the fastest" 5G iPhone could be pushed into December or January. JPMorgan put the delay at one to two months.
Before the outbreak, Apple planned a redesign of the iPhone with a “super cycle” of upgrades, including 5G connectivity, that the company hoped would encourage owners of older models to upgrade to the revamped 2020 version, according to the report.
Some analysts said delayed shipments of the new phones might turn out to be the least of the company’s worries. Overall customer demand for a $1,000 phone is very much in question as more than 22 million Americans have lost jobs during the economic shutdown due to the pandemic.
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