Apple may wield a lot of power within supply chains, but it's no match for a global pandemic and mass production of the iPhone 12 is apparently being pushed back by a month.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, "people familiar with the changes" are reporting that Apple has taken the decision to delay pulling the trigger on mass production by roughly one month. In terms of what that means for overall production, we should expect 20 percent fewer iPhones to be produced during 2020.
The decision to delay mass production is due to two factors. The first being the coronavirus pandemic having a disruptive effect on supply chains, and the second being weaker than usual global demand for new smartphones. If it's harder to make millions of new iPhones and consumers aren't so eager to buy them on launch day, it becomes clear why Apple is more relaxed about ramping up production.
Typically, Apple introduces the next generation of iPhone models in mid-September and starts selling them in time for October. The production delay could mean one of two things: Apple delays the launch to mid-October, or it sticks to the expected time frame, but has significantly lower stock levels to sell on launch day in late September.
We knew Apple was considering delaying the iPhone 12, but at the time it was suggested that the delay would push a launch into 2021. That no longer seems to be the case. We're expecting the iPhone 12 to look like a small iPad Pro and be available in four models: an iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, as well as two lower-end handsets to replace the existing iPhone 11. They will also be Apple's first 5G handsets.
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