For once, the iPhone release date isn't a formality. Apple's September launch cycle has become as predictable as the phone's quality in recent years but in 2020, as we await the iPhone 12, things aren't quite so certain.
Due to Covid-19's affect on the Apple supply chain, it was widely expected that the launch of the new iPhone would be delayed, with component suppliers unlikely to be able to meet the typical demand.
However, the latest expert thinking suggests this bump in the road may be small enough for Apple to absorb and press ahead with a September launch that's perhaps only days delayed, rather than weeks or months. This would in turn allow the iPhone 12 to still ship in October as was likely originally planned.
Investment bank Wedbush predicts that the iPhone 12 will launch in the "typical September timeframe", according to a note to investors, seen by AppleInsider. Daniel Ives, a Wedbush analyst, reports the supply chain has "normalised", allowing the iPhone 12 lineup to be unveiled in late September and be in shops by October.
Also mooted in the note is the idea, previously mentioned by other regular tipsters, that Apple won't include any EarPods with the iPhone 12, pushing more consumers to splash out for the wireless AirPods. The rise and rise in popularity of AirPods and other wireless earbuds certainly makes the ditching of the freebie wired buds easy to believe.
Whenever we see the new iPhone, it looks increasingly likely we will see an angular design across four models, with three different screen sizes. And the inclusion of 5G. For a complete round-up of all the leaks and news, head over to our iPhone 12 news page.
