Apple's lower cost iPhone SE 2 is still on track to launch in March, though the plans are still fluid, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday citing people familiar with the matter.
Amid its coronavirus troubles, Apple has been preparing to launch a new low-cost iPhone at around $400 that will resemble the iPhone 8 with an A13 chip inside.
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, the report said.
Tianfeng International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reaffirmed his judgment that the new coronavirus would significantly impact the production of iPhone 11 and iPhone SE 2.
In a report released earlier this month, Kuo said that Zhengzhou Foxconn is the most important production base of the iPhone and is mainly responsible for the iPhone 11 series and iPhone SE 2. The factory was originally scheduled to resume work on February 10, but it has now been postponed with an estimated return rate of about 40-60%.
Another major Apple supplier, Pegatron, was also affected by the epidemic: Pegatron's iPhone production bases include Shanghai and Kunshan, which are mainly responsible for the iPhone 11, and its Shanghai plant is mainly responsible for the development of 2020 new iPhones.
The factory has resumed work on February 3, with a return rate of about 90%, but it is estimated that after the payroll in February, the factory is expected to leave, and the return rate may drop to below 60–70%.
And Pegatron's Kunshan factory is mainly responsible for the production of iPhone SE 2. Originally scheduled to resume work on February 10, has been postponed for at least a few days, and the expected return rate is about 40-60%.
Ming-Chi Kuo said in a previous report that the new crown pneumonia epidemic will cause delays in the production and delivery of new products and affect iPhone sales. It is expected that iPhone shipments in Q1 of 2020 will decline by 10%.
