Apple has confirmed that it plans to launch its new iPhones a little later this year. “Last year we started selling new iPhones in late September, this year we expect supply to be available a few weeks later,” Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said in a profit call with investors today.
Maestri did not reveal why this year’s iPhone supply is delayed or limited, but rumors of an iPhone delay have been circulating for months. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that Apple had delayed mass production of its upcoming iPhone phones by about a month. Qualcomm also hinted at an iPhone delay earlier this week, highlighting a “partial impact of the delay of a worldwide launch of the flagship 5G phone” for its fourth-quarter projections.
Apple generally releases its annual iPhone update in September and begins shipping devices before the end of the month. It’s unclear if the devices won’t be ready until October, but Apple may still choose to unveil its new phones during an event in September.
This is not the first time that Apple has delayed shipping an iPhone. The iPhone X was announced alongside the iPhone 8 in September 2017, but it didn’t hit stores until November due to production issues. Apple’s iPhone XR was also announced in September 2018, and hit stores in October after reports suggested that Apple was having trouble producing LCD screens.
