Apple cancelled its March event because of the pandemic which is currently buggering up our lives to varying degrees, and it seems that the lockdowns, self-isolation, and general mood right now has the tech giant concerned about the demand for its products, so some of its new lineup is getting delayed.
The next major flagship – the iPhone 12 – is still set for a 2020 release, in spite of concerns over supply issues in China, where the coronavirus first took hold. Bloomberg reports that manufacturing facilities in the country are recovering, and that Apple’s next iteration of the iPhone is on schedule to launch later this year, as mass production wasn’t due to start until the summertime anyway.
Loup Ventures analyst, Gene Munster, says that while initial demand for the new handset will most likely be “muted”, Apple’s strategy over the decades indicates it won’t delay the smartphone and can survive a slow uptake of the device.
Apple has a number of other products in the pipeline right now which may be delayed instead, according to Bloomberg, like the upcoming budget handset, the iPhone SE 2, a rumoured iPad Pro refresh, and MacBook Pro refresh. But with no official word from the company – probably because of the uncertainty that a global pandemic is apt to create – we’ll have to sit tight and wait for an update while we speculate. [Ubergizmo]
This post originally appeared on Gizmodo UK, which is gobbling up the news in a different timezone.