Apple is gearing up to launch its first budget smartphone in the upcoming few weeks. The iPhone 9, has been rumored for quite a while now and a March launch is expected. However, given the fact that most of Apple’s phones are manufactured in Chinese factories, the launch of the phone was expected to be delayed. The reason for that was none other than the deadly coronavirus outbreak. That doesn’t seem to be the case, however.
It was reported that the mass production of the phone which was scheduled to begin in mid-February will be delayed. As per reports, Apple was gearing up to manufacture 15 million units of the latest iPhone 9. Soon after, Mingfeng Guo, an analyst at Tianfeng Securities, reported some more information. He claimed that if the epidemic isn’t resolved at the earliest, Apple may face supply and demand issues. Nonetheless, Foxconn cleared the air around the speculations.
As My Driver reports, Foxconn has denied the claims of possible delay in Apple’s manufacturing order. They said that the outbreak won’t affect the completion of the order as they have backup plans and protective measures in place to ensure that the production continues and all manufacturing obligations are fulfilled.
It will be interesting to see if Apple launches the iPhone 9 in March. It’ll be Apple’s first venture in the mid-range segment, considering the phone will be priced sub $400. It is speculated that the phone will have similar body features as the iPhone 8. Under the hood, the phone is said to feature the Apple Bionic A13 chip.