Major Apple suppliers hint at iPhone 12 launch delay

Semiconductor company Broadcom has once again signaled that the iPhone 12 launch will be later than usual, reports Reuters.

Apple had previously confirmed that the 2020 iPhones won’t stick to the usual mid-September launch cycle.

Broadcom said Thursday that annual chip shipments ramp-up would be delayed this year, which suggests that the iPhone 12 will be announced in October, as rumored previously.

The company manufactures chips that filter radio signals and provide WiFi connections for the iPhone. According to estimates, Apple accounts for a quarter of its revenue. 

The report says that the ramp-up of chip shipments for the iPhone 12 will run into the fourth quarter of the year, which is in line with rumors that claimed the beefier iPhone 12 models won’t arrive before November.

Back in June, Broadcom’s chief executive officer Hock Tan talked about a “major product cycle delay” at a large North American smartphone company, which is how he often refers to Apple.

Qualcomm’s Q2 revenue is another indication that the iPhone 12 is running late

Per a recent TrendForce report, Broadcom surpassed Qualcomm as the number one IC design company in Q2 2020. Qualcomm’s growth was apparently also affected by Apple’s decision to not adhere to its usual launch timeframe.

Smartphone vendors order components months ahead of product launch and Apple’s third-quarter releases have historically contributed to Qualcomm’s second-quarter revenues.

Most analysts believe that the launch of the first 5G-enabled iPhones has been delayed because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions which have disrupted the work on the phones.

Previously, the iPhone 12 was expected to generate a supercycle, but that possibility is dimming and this could partially be blamed on a delayed unveiling.

A recent report also implies that the new iPhones will not have a lower starting price than last year’s iPhone 11.