iPhone 12 production pushed back "about a month" says WSJ

COVID-19 has caused massive disruption across the globe and tech supply chains have not escaped the impact. According to the Wall Street Journal, even Apple with all of its extensive resources will miss its typical September launch window for its annual iPhone launch. The Journal’s sources say that the specific impact of COVID-19 on the iPhone 12 timeline has been to set back mass production by "about a month".

All things considered, that is probably not a bad outcome given that China, where Apple produces its iPhones, was the epicenter of the outbreak and its production partner Foxconn had been forced to close at least some of its plants. It will also give Apple time to reassess its supply chain plans as global demand for smartphones has been in decline in line with economies dipping into recession. Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known Apple analyst, expects iPhone 12 sales to be at least 10 to 15 percent lower than originally forecast.

The iPhone 12 is expected to come in at least three models, with the mainstream model expected to pick up a 6.1-inch display as in the past, although it could switch to OLED from LCD for the first time. Apple is said to be planning two iPhone 12 Pro models, one with a smaller 5.4-inch display, down from the current 5.8-inch size, and one with a 6.7-inch display, up from the current 6.5-inch size. All are expected to feature Apple’s next-generation A14 SoC which should deliver blistering performance.