The next iPhone will arrive a little later than usual this year, Apple CFO Luca Maestri said during a Thursday earnings call.
"As you know, last year we started selling new iPhones in September. This year, we project supply to be available a few weeks later," he said. As a result, expect the rumored iPhone 12 to land in October. Last year's iPhone 11 went on sale on Sept. 20.
The delay likely has to do with Apple's supply chain, which COVID-19 disrupted when the virus broke out across China in January. It's also possible the company needs more time to iron out its components; the next iPhone is rumored to include 5G connectivity.
In the meantime, the pandemic isn’t stopping people from buying existing iPhones. On Thursday, Apple reported its second quarter earnings, which reveal sales of the product were up 2 percent year over year, despite the economic impact from COVID-19.
During the quarter, Apple raked in $26 billion in revenue from smartphone sales, thanks in part to the iPhone SE. The company released the model in April with a starting price of $399, and apparently, customers have been eating it up. Apple CEO Tim Cook described the product’s arrival as a “strong launch.”
“The iPhone 11 is still our most popular smartphone, but the iPhone SE helped our results,” he said during an earnings call. Another factor that helped boost iPhone sales was the “economic stimulus” governments have been sending to consumers.
According to Apple's CFO, the company's product sales initially fell in the first weeks of April when COVID-19 lockdown orders caused many consumers to stay at home. However, sales began to pick up in May and June when retail stores began to reopen.
Demand for all other Apple products, including the Mac and iPad, were also up during the quarter. Due to COVID-19, and the need to work from home, many consumers have been buying laptops for themselves or for children, which has led to a surge in PC sales.
Apple’s overall revenue for the quarter increased 11 percent year over year to $59.7 billion.
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