More reasons iPhone 12 may be delayed – Apple engineers can't fly to China

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Foxconn (Image credit: Bloomberg)

What you need to know

  • Apple's iPhone 12 might be delayed.
  • Engineers would normally travel to China to complete checks ahead of mass production.
  • That isn't happening because of an Apple travel ban.

Apple normally has engineers travel to China and carry out engineering verification tests (EVTs) before a new iPhone goes into mass production. That should be happening for iPhone 12 right about now, but it isn't. And it's unlikely to for the foreseeable future after Apple extended its travel restrictions.

A new report by DigiTimes suggests that a delay in EVT could push an iPhone 12 release back a month or two, putting a September iPhone release in doubt for the first time in years.

Related supply chain makers had originally expected the rescheduled EVT procedures to be carried out by the end of March enabling the kick-off of volume production of the new ‌iPhone‌ devices in June, said the sources, adding that a further delay of EVT tests to the end of April could postpone the volume production by another 1-2 months.Judging from the revised EVT schedule, Apple's product launch for the next-generation ‌iPhone‌ devices could to be postponed to October, said the sources.

Apple is preventing its employees from making trips to Asia in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus. We first heard of the potential impact of that move around a month ago, and it appears things haven't improved since then.

This also comes after Bloomberg reported that iPhone 12 might not make its September release window because production hasn't yet ramped up at Apple's suppliers.

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.