The release of Apple’s new iPhone 12 is expected to be delayed due to travel restrictions amid the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus crisis facing the China, Reuters reported.
Apple is set to release its latest iPhone in September, while production is slated to begin in summer, after assuring all contract manufacturers based in China are ready. Amid growing threats of the deadly virus, experts in the company's supply chain have warned that the strict travel restrictions in place may lead to delaying the release of iPhone 12, according to the news outlet.
Apple engineers normally collaborate with their counterparts at China's Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacture and the primary manufacturer of iPhones and related products; assembling, testing and troubleshooting the expensive devices, according to Reuters.
"They probably have one assembly line they're trying things out on," said a former employee, quoted by Reuters. "Are Apple's engineers with the Foxconn engineers? If they are, they're probably making progress. But if they're not, if they're quarantined, that could be bad."
Apple engineers are reportedly set to work with Foxconn staff in the period between March and April to set up, test, and make adjustments to the assembly lines before gradually ramping up production by June.
Last week, Apple, the world's largest technology company by revenue, warned that global iPhone supplies could be limited due to the inability of manufacturing sites in China to ramp up production amid the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. The company told investors that it was unlikely that it would meet revenue targets for the first three months of this year, according to Reuters.