Bloomberg: iPhone 9 will still be announced in March despite coronavirus factory closures

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What you need to know

  • Bloomberg says that iPhone 9 will be announced next month.
  • That's despite the impact of factory closures due to coronavirus.
  • This as Apple has warned investors that it will miss its Q2 revenue guidance.

Amid a backdrop of Apple's message to investors warning of its inability to meet its own Q2 earnings guidance due to production issues related to coronavirus, Bloomberg now reports that we can expect iPhone 9 to be announced next month as planned.

The report notes that while Apple is struggling to make iPhones at the predicted pace due to factory closures, it will still announce the low-cost iPhone next month as had been expected. The plans are, however, still "fluid".

Amid its coronavirus troubles, Apple has been preparing to launch a new low-cost iPhone at around $400, Bloomberg News has reported. The model is still on track to launch in March, though the plans are still fluid, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple has also been preparing updated iPad Pro models with a new camera system for the first half of 2020 and the virus may yet impose delays or constraints on those plans.

That suggestion of a new iPad Pro refresh matches recent reports from DigiTimes suggesting a new 12-inch iPad Pro – at least – will be announced soon.

Apple has held March events before, so it's possible this year, too. If there is to be a new announcement it's possible we will also see the Apple AirTags trackers we've been waiting for.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.