Apple iPhone 12 has been boiling up among the most searched keywords for a while. However, last night, Tuesday, September 15, Apple hosted a hardware event that featured pretty much everything but the long-awaited iPhones. This caused some furor among many Apple watchers regarding the possible delay in the iPhone 12 launch timeline. However, it is important to note that the iPhone 12 is expected to be pushed back from its usual launch timeline. for a while. so it wasn’t a huge surprise when Apple only unveiled its 8th generation iPad, the new iPad Air, Watch Series 6, Watch SE, and subscription services at the Time Flies event last night.
The Covid-19 pandemic
Usually Apple releases its iPhones in the first week or two of September. Subsequently, it will go on sale in advance and will be on sale at the end of September or the first week of October. While the ‘Time Flies’ event fell almost within the natural Apple device launch period, reports in recent months had already indicated a possible delay in the launch of Apple’s latest iPhones. At the center of this, of course, is the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the pandemic broke out in China, when most major factories were closed and extensive shutdowns brought industries to a halt, Apple faced an unprecedented setback to its manufacturing schedule. Typically, the period from February to March is when Apple’s next-generation iPhones go through the Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) stage and enter the production stage. It is this key phase that was delayed due to travel restrictions that caused Apple executives to have limitations in coordinating with their production and supply chains and, of course, factories to remain closed.
READ ALSO | Apple Event 2020 Releases: Newly Designed iPad Air, 8th Gen iPad, Watch Series 6, Budget Watch SE, Apple One
When factories reopened, Apple focused on its business to stock up on more ‘affordable’ iPhones, like the iPhone XR from 2018 or the iPhone SE from this year. Subsequently, Apple also declared in February that it was reducing its revenue pattern, as the resumption of normal market conditions was taking longer than it had anticipated. As a result, most analysts lowered the guidance figures for Apple’s 5G-ready iPhones, with the iPhone 12 taking a backseat to make way for cheaper iPhones.
5G chips
It’s not just about the production timeline, either. Earlier this year, Qualcomm stated that it expects a slight delay in the launch of a branded iPhone 5G by the end of the year, which most analysts considered the iPhone 12. The resulting delay may also have occurred as an indirect effect of the pandemic. which would have stifled the supply of 5G radio chips from Qualcomm to Apple, a feature that is imperative for 5G iPhones to enter the production stage.
READ ALSO | Apple iPhone 12 to Launch Soon: Everything We Know So Far About Apple’s First 5G iPhones
Apple and Qualcomm cleared up their differences last year in a $ 1 billion lawsuit, which in turn gave Apple the license to use Qualcomm’s 5G chips in its first 5G iPhones: the iPhone 12 line. acquired Intel’s 5G modem business as well to make its own 5G radio chips, something that will only be present in future iPhones. However, for now, the delay in the component manufacturing chain has also likely delayed the launch of the iPhone 12 by about a month.
When will it be released?
The iPhone 12 is now expected to launch in a separate event in October, but hopefully no later than that. Apple reportedly expects to make around 75 million units of the iPhone 12 by the last quarter of this year. iOS 14, the latest version of Apple’s software, has already been rolled out for users today, so you can at least take a look at the interface of the new iPhone on your older devices as well.
.
