Apple has officially confirmed that its next-generation 5G-enabled iPhones won’t hit the market in September.

“As you know, last year we started selling iPhones in late September. This year, we expect supply to be available a few weeks later,” said Apple’s Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri in an earnings call to investors.

Apple usually launches new iPhones in the market in September. This could mean that its upcoming iPhones, likely to be called iPhone 12, will likely be available in the market in mid-October.

The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that Apple had postponed the mass production of its upcoming iPhone by around a month due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic had led to multiple manufacturing-related issues in addition to lower consumer demand.

Qualcomm, in its Q3 earnings report, had also hinted at the delay by factoring in a “partial impact from the delay of a global 5G flagship phone launch” in its fourth quarter projections.

Apple has held multiple internal discussions on deferring the launch of its 5G smartphones, the release of which was scheduled for September, by months as its supply chains have been hit by the pandemic, the Nikkei Asian Review had reported in March. The current situation is also likely to “tame” the reception of its first 5G iPhone, which the company believes needs to be a “hit,” the report said.

Apple may launch the new iPhones in September in a virtual event similar to its World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). However, it may be mid-October or November before the phones are available for consumers, according to reports.

comment COMMENT NOW