The launch of the iPhone 12 is getting closer to being postponed, and this is because the Coronavirus prevents Apple from going through the normal development process for its new phone, with engineers being restricted from going to China. The new phone models are tested there before a test production is made for them in view of the launch, and since Apple engineers cannot get to test the iPhone 12 where they are to be made, the completion of the development is difficult.
Apple postponed until the end of April the expiration of a travel ban for engineers who had to arrive in China to participate in the development of the iPhone 12, the whole process being delayed anyway. Apple has postponed the completion of the iPhone 12 prototype testing process until the end of March, but it seems that even this term is not so realistic, and this is due to the fact that its engineers cannot reach Asia to test the phones.
iPhone 12 launch almost postponed due to the Coronavirus
The Taiwanese partners of those from Apple stated that at the moment the iPhone 12 development process is delayed due to the Coronavirus, and with new delays, production could start 1-2 months later than originally scheduled. This would mean that the launch could also be postponed to October, but even then the phones in the iPhone 12 series could be available in extremely limited quantities, due to problems with production in Chinese factories.
"Related supply chain manufacturers initially expected scheduled EVT procedures to be completed by the end of March, which would allow volume production of the new iPhone devices to begin in June, the sources said, adding that a further delay in EVT tests at late April could delay volume production by another 1-2 months. Given the revised EVT schedule, Apple's product launch for next-generation iPhone devices may be pushed back to October, the sources said.
A one-month postponement of the iPhone 12 launch would seriously affect Apple's sales for the entire year 2020, and this is because, in general, sales of new series contribute a lot to the annual total. If the stocks will also be very reduced, then the problem becomes even bigger for those from Apple, but of course everything depends on the ability of Foxconn to be able to recover from the problems with the Coronavirus, the company failing to reach maximum capacity even now.
The iPhone 12 should have been presented sometime in the first part of September, but as things stand, this seems quite unlikely.
