According to a report by DigiTimes, Apple’s ban on its engineers from traveling to Asia in the wake of the coronavirus might delay the release of Apple’s 5G iPhones. According to the sources, Apple extended the deadline for workers to travel to Asia until the end of April. This restriction has caused a delay in verification tests for Apple’s 5G iPhones at manufacturing factories in China.
According to Bloomberg, “Bank of America wrote that Apple’s highly anticipated 5G iPhone could see its fall release delayed by a month as a result of the outbreak. The firm cited a conversation with an expert on the company’s supply chain, Elliot Lan. Lan also expects the launch of the iPhone SE2 will be delayed “by a few months” due to “both supply issues as well as the weaker demand environment from COVID-19.”
Apple’s production of new devices starts in the summer. Apple’s employees visit China in the early start of the year to perfect the assembly process. As Apple restricts its employees from visiting countries such as China, Italy, and South Korea, this process will be slow due to which the production will see a delay.
According to the prediction by DigiTimes, the overall shipments of 5G-enabled iPhone smartphones will be much lower in the first half of 2020. It is due to the coronavirus outbreak.
