The worst part about the coronavirus outbreak that has gripped the whole world is that we’re still not able to tell whether it has reached its peak or the worst is behind us. In such times, as we try to adapt to our stay-at-home lifestyle, big companies like Apple are definitely struggling to figure out their future plans. Just last month, we got news that the company has canceled its annual developer conference, the WWDC, in favor of an online-only event. And while nothing has yet been said officially about its device launches that are supposed to happen this year, leaks and rumblings in the tech world can definitely give us a good idea of what to expect.
Products in the immediate pipeline
It’s obvious that an iPhone 12 lineup is on the card, with odds all but assuring we’ll see a release of the new model by the end of the year, but what’s also something Apple is likely to release soon is the iPhone SE 2020. This is an inexpensive iPhone that’s likely to ship with a 4.7-inch display. Expected to be priced around $399, this device is said to have picked up its design from the iPhone 8 lineup. This means it will not have a notch on its screen and is likely to ship with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor as well. The iPhone SE 2020 will also feature a glass back, according to leaks. You can even expect it to adopt the A13 Bionic chipset.
That said, the main attraction this year would, of course, be the new iPhone 12 flagship lineup. Apparently, there are four planned devices, with all of them having gotten a redesign along the lines of the current iPad Pro. Dual cameras will make their way into the two basic iPhone 12 models, which are likely to grab 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch displays, while the two Pro variants will ship with triple-camera setups and 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays. The Pro models are also expected to grab the 3D LIDAR system that debuted on the iPad Pro 2020.
What happened to the iPhone SE 2020 launch?
Most leaks and rumors had pegged the launch of the iPhone SE 2020 to take place in the month of March. While that didn’t turn out to be true, there are still murmurs that April will be the month in which the device will see the light of the day. This means that the handset has very much succeeded in getting enough units ready for retail. However, Apple’s channels of distribution right now remain confined only to online retail in the US. Just last month, in a response to the COVID-19 disease, the company shut down all it’s brick and mortar outlets in all countries except China. And it doesn’t look like the stores will open up anytime soon. Apple is hence faced with the choice of selling the iPhone SE 2020 through its online stores alone, or waiting out this storm and launch the device on a later date.
What about the iPhone 12 lineup
Earlier reports were suggesting that the coronavirus scare might not affect the September release window for the iPhone 12 smartphones, but that’s not the case now. A new report from Nikkei Asian Review states that the Cupertino giant has been holding internal discussions about the possibility of delaying the launch by ‘months.’ They will have to face supply chain hurdles, which experts say will indeed lead to a delay in the release. Another major factor that could lead to a delay is the inability of Apple’s staff to travel back and forth to China due to travel restrictions that have been imposed owing to the coronavirus threat. All these factors definitely point to September not being the month in which we’ll be witnessing the launch of the iPhone 12 range.
In the coming weeks, we expect Apple to give us some clarity regarding how it plans to get things back on track following the end of the coronavirus threat. However, don’t expect the company to start saying anything about the iPhone 12 any time soon. As for the iPhone SE 2020, despite rumors suggesting that it will be out in the coming days, we’d advise you to not get all that expected since its launch has already been delayed at least once.