Apple pushes suppliers to reduce 5G iPhone production delays

Apple is said to be aggressively pushing their suppliers in China to work overtime in order to reduce COVID-19-induced production delays for the company’s first 5G iPhones.

According to a report in the Nikkei Asian Review, Apple is facing delays of between four weeks and two months for mass production of the four 5G iPhone models due to COVID-19 factory lockdowns.

Nikkei Asian Review:

“What the progress looks like now is months of delay in terms of mass production, but Apple is doing everything it can to shorten the postponement. There’s a chance that the schedule could still be moved ahead,” one of the sources told Nikkei… Another source said the situation remained dynamic, even if the company has set an aggressive schedule for suppliers. “Some final iPhone assembly could be delayed to early October, and it wouldn’t be surprising if there are further delays because there are still a lot of tests going on now and the final designs have not yet been locked down,” the person said.

Apple earlier this year set an aggressive target for the launch of 5G iPhones by ordering components for as many as 100 million units for 2020. However because of Covid-19, it has lowered the volume to around 80 million units… Apple is also preparing healthier-than-expected orders for older models to keep sales momentum while it gears up its first 5G iPhone lineup… Apple has asked suppliers to build more than 45 million units of the older models for the second half of 2020, in a move to shield the company in case of any delays to the new 5G iPhones, sources told Nikkei.

The order numbers should reassure suppliers that Apple is confident sales will be healthy despite the coronavirus pandemic.

MacDailyNews Take: The report also cites sources are confirming that all four of the new 2020 iPhone models will feature 5G in some form with display sizes of 5.4 inches, 6.1 inches, and 6.7 inches. Based on earlier leaks and rumors, we expect the following 5G iPhone models, names, specs, and prices:

iPhone 12
• 5.4-inch BOE OLED Super Retina display
• 5G cellular connectivity
• A14 SoC
• 4GB memory
• 128GB, 256GB storage
• Aluminum casing
• Dual rear camera system
• $649, $749

iPhone 12 Max
• 6.1-inch BOE OLED Super Retina
• 5G cellular connectivity
• A14 SoC
• 4GB memory
• 128GB, 256GB storage
• Aluminum casing
• Dual rear camera system
• $749, $849

iPhone 12 Pro
• 6.1-inch Samsung OLED Super Retina XDR with ProMotion and 10-bit Color Depth display
• 5G cellular connectivity
• A14 SoC
• 6GB memory
• 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Stainless steel casing
• Triple camera system
• LiDAR
• $999, $1099, $1299

iPhone 12 Pro Max
• 6.7-inch Samsung OLED Super Retina XDR with ProMotion and 10-bit Color Depth display
• 5G cellular connectivity
• A14 SoC
• 6GB memory
• 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Stainless steel casing
• Triple camera system
• LiDAR
• $1099, $1199, $1399