What you need to know
- A new report from Bloomberg says the iPhone 12 is on track for a fall release.
- Production on the phone is not supposed to begin until May.
- Availability on Apple's existing products continues to improve.
Apple's supply chain has been struggling to get back up and running at full capacity for months since the coronavirus forced factory closures and workers remaining at home to prevent the spread of the virus. However, it seems that production is beginning to ramp up again, and Apple's most anticipated product of the year seems to be on track for a normal release.
According to a new report by Bloomberg, sources are saying that the 5G iPhone is still expected to be available this fall. This is largely due to the fact that Chinese workers are beginning to return to work, as well as the fact that the iPhone 12 was not planned to start production until May.
Apple just launched a new iPad Pro and Macbook Air this week, and both products are available to order now for delivery next week. However, production on both devices most likely began in January, a month before China experienced the worst of the virus, according to sources familiar with the matter.
In a note to investors, Brad Gastwirth, Chief Technology Strategist at Wedbush Securities, says that although China is beginning to recover from the virus, other areas in the world are still vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.
"Even as China comes back on line, we are beginning to wonder if Covid-19 will impact other supply oriented geographies ... While China is improving, the supply chain for the electronics industry may yet see substantial disruptions."
Production factories continue to close throughout the world as the virus spreads, the most recent closures happening in Malaysia. It is unclear at this time how much Apple's supply chain will continue to be disrupted, but it is promising to see new product releases available to order immediately and availability on the iPhone 11 and AirPods begin to improve.
