Apple is pushing back the production ramp-up of its flagship iPhones coming later this year by about a month, Wall Street Journal reported.
Apple is delaying the manufacturing of iPhone as the coronavirus pandemic weakens global consumer demand and disrupts manufacturing across Asia, the heart of the consumer electronics supply chain.
Apple is forging ahead with plans to release four new iPhone models later this year. The phones, some with 5G connectivity, will vary in price and come in three sizes.
Apple shipped 73.8 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2019 to grab the top position with 7.9 percent growth, IDC report said earlier.
Apple’s iPhone 11 series did well particularly in developed regions like the U.S. and Europe while iPhone XR remained popular globally. According to Apple, the iPhone 11 was the top-selling model every week during December and the three new models were the top three models throughout the quarter.
IDC in February 2020 said the smartphone market is expected to decline 2.3 percent in 2020 with shipment volume just over 1.3 billion due to COVID-19 outbreak. Smartphone business is expected to return to growth in 2021 driven by accelerated 5G efforts.
Apple sold 198 million iPhones in 2019, capturing 14.5 percent share in the smartphone market globally, according to Canalys report.
