Apple delay next-generation 5G iPhone production due to coronavirus pandemic

Apple’s next suite of smartphones could arrive a little later than expected after reports the company has pushed back production due to the pandemic.

Jack Gramenz

2 min read

April 28, 2020 - 7:12PM

The next iPhones might arrive later than expected and you might not be able to get your hands on one as easily, as Apple has reportedly delayed production due to the pandemic.

The computing giant usually announces new iPhones around September, and they arrive in stores days later thanks to Apple’s production schedules.

This year could be a different story however.

Sources “familiar with the changes” have told the Wall Street Journal Apple has pushed back the ramping up of production by about a month.

Inside a Foxconn assembly line. Picture: Thomas Lee / Bloomberg

The company will still be building the phones but the ramping up of production to have devices on hand shortly after the public reveal of the new phone has reportedly been pushed back.

This could mean Apple also pushes back that reveal, or that there are less devices available at launch than usual.

One of the sources who spoke to the Journal said Apple planned to make around 20 per cent less iPhones in the last half of the year than usual.

Apple’s main supply and production partner Foxconn has also put a halt on new hires.

Apple doesn’t comment on future products, their features or release dates.

Apple partner Foxconn has put a halt on new hires. Picture: Aleksandar Plavevskiepa / Shutterstock

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The company did warn investors earlier this year that the pandemic would take a hit and it had slowed iPhone production.

A Bernstein Research analyst said in a recent report it was probably nothing to worry about as long as Apple gets new iPhones out by the end of the year, because the holiday season is when it sells most of them.

Industry insiders and the online rumour mill have predicted the next suite of iPhones will feature four models, with faster 5G connectivity and OLED screens, in sizes ranging from 5.4-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch.

It was hoped these new phones would pump some air back into the iPhone’s tyres, after Apple failed to sell more than 200 million of the phones last year for the first time since 2015.

Like most businesses Apple has been impacted by the pandemic, closing stores around the world and delaying production of its next phones. Picture: AP / Mary Altaffer

This could be due to smartphones maturing to a point where the innovation is milder and thus less attractive for existing users to upgrade.

Additionally, fewer people are buying their first smartphone for the first time.

Phones have also become more expensive in recent years, and the economic effects of the pandemic on consumer pockets means many people who might have wanted to pick up a new iPhone this year could reassess.

Earlier this month Apple released the second generation iPhone SE, a cheaper iPhone that resembles 2017’s iPhone 8 but with more modern internals.

That phone also hit the market a little later than analysts had expected.

The second-generation iPhone SE sells for $749.

The SE’s lower price could help improve some sales numbers by making it easier for more consumers to afford one.

It also provides an entrance into the “Apple Ecosystem”, as a customer who buys an iPhone SE might then subscribe to services like iCloud, Music, TV+ or News+ as well.

They could also later go on to buy complementary Apple products like a pair of the company’s AirPods wireless headphones or Watch.

Apple's AirPods were mocked when they were first announced but have since become one of the company’s most popular products.

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The wearables category has in recent years become a huge money spinner for the company, particularly the category-defining AirPods which continue to outsell competitors by huge margins.

Analyst reports have it selling between around 35 million and 60 million AirPods last year.

While the exact figure is hard to nail down and different analysts use different methods to arrive at the different numbers, they arrive at the same conclusion that more people are buying AirPods than any other wireless headphone.