Before the COVID-19 outbreak hit the world, the smartphone industry anticipates that Apple would launch its flagship smartphone on Sept. 2020. But, the deadly virus sent the world into panic and disrupted supply chains of many tech companies, including Apple. The Cupertino company recently encourage safe travel bans to its employees to ensure their safety from the virus, but it appears that it is also the reason why the testing of the iPhone 12 5G got delayed.
The latest report comes from Digitimes, which says that the Cupertino company's effort to stop or at least minimize the spread of the virus has massively impacted its manufacturing and retail efforts. But, its safe travel ban has reportedly affected the production of the company. The Taiwan-based publication reveals that the Cupertino tech company has extended its travel restrictions to employees to travel to Asia by another month.
Apple has a high standard and requirements when it comes to manufacturing its products' components on its supply chains. Quality control testing and validation to partners are conducted on a regular basis. Usually, Apple suppliers finalize their production plans for the yearly refresh of the company's flagship smartphone.
The travel restriction limits Apple employees' travel to countries affected by the COVID-19, particularly in Asia. This decision, according to industry sources would restrict engineers from visiting supply partners to test components for the much-awaited iPhone 12 5G. Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Bank of America Analyst Wamsi Mohan predicted that the iPhone 12 5G release could be delayed for at least a month.
The analyst's prediction was further supported by a report from the South China Morning Post. The report based its claims on the perspectives of high-profile analysts who believe that the arrival of the iPhone 12 5G might face a delay. It also highlighted the crucial role of COVID-19 in paralyzing operations of Apple suppliers.
Earlier, Apple's iPhone major supplier, Foxconn, announced that it aimed to go back to its normal operation by the end of the month. But, given the development of the COVID-19, there is no assurance that this would happen. Apart from the iPhone 12 5G, analysts also claim that the entry-level iPhone SE 2 might face a few months of delay.
The iPhone SE 2 is one of the most awaited smartphones arriving this year. It borrows the design of the iPhone 8 and houses the Apple A13 Bionic chip found on the current generation iPhone 11 series. It is worth noting that these are predictions from industry sources and analysts. Apple has not yet revealed if it is really launching these products this year.
