Apple "iPhone 12 Launch Difficult by Late September... Delayed by a Few Weeks"

Apple CFO "Available a few weeks after late September"
iPhone 12 likely to be supplied after mid-October
Domestic supply may be delayed until mid-November

Customers visiting the Apple Garosugil store in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 25th, the domestic release date of the iPhone 11, are experiencing the iPhone 11. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Apple announced that the release schedule for the iPhone 12 may be delayed by several weeks compared to usual. This is a rare announcement from Apple, which typically does not confirm information such as release dates.

On the 30th (local time), Luca Maestri, Apple's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), stated, "We started selling iPhones at the end of September last year, but this year we expect supply to be available several weeks later than that."

Apple has traditionally held events in early September and released products around the end of September, but this year the iPhone 12 series is expected to be released after mid-October. The domestic release date is also likely to be delayed from late October to mid-November or later.

Industry expectations have largely been that the iPhone 12 release would be postponed due to restrictions on movement following the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which disrupted parts supply and business trips. Apple's parts supplier Broadcom also announced that sales would be delayed by more than one quarter due to the iPhone 12 release delay.

CFO Luca Maestri explained, "We have prepared an amazing product lineup, but we are well aware that we are incredibly affected by the recent (COVID-19) situation." It is interpreted that Apple decided to communicate this information to investors amid the prolonged COVID-19 situation and ongoing uncertainties.

This is not the first time Apple has delayed the release of a product announced in September by more than a month. In 2017, the iPhone 8 was released first, followed by the iPhone X in November, and the iPhone XR was released about a month later than the iPhone XS, starting in October.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.