Apple says the new iPhone will likely be delayed a few weeks

• Apple said it expects supply of its next iPhone to be available "a few weeks later" compared to last year's iPhone launch.
• The comments come as reports have suggested the next-generation iPhone may be delayed because of supply chain issues stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
• Apple made the comments in the context of giving investors some insight into what it expects for the next quarter since it didn't issue guidance.
• Apple reported growth across all product segments, including the iPhone, in its fiscal third-quarter earnings report.

Apple said the launch of its anticipated 5G iPhone will likely be delayed a few weeks as the company's supply chain recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

The company did not provide revenue guidance for its fiscal fourth quarter because of uncertainty stemming from COVID-19. But during its fiscal third-quarter earnings call, the company did provide some insight into what it's expecting across its biggest product segments for the September quarter.

When discussing the iPhone, Apple said that although it started selling new iPhones in late September last year, it expects "supply to be available a few weeks later."

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"This year the supply of the new product will be a few weeks later than that," Luca Maestri, Apple's senior vice president and chief financial officer, said on the company's earnings call.

It's far from being the first indication that Apple's next iPhone could see a delayed launch. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported back in April that at least some versions of the new iPhone could launch a few weeks later than usual, noting that they would still likely debut in the fall time frame. Analysts from J.P. Morgan previously suggested that the next iPhone could be delayed by one or two months.

It also wouldn't be the first time that Apple launched an iPhone later than its typical September window. In 2018, for example, it began selling the iPhone XR in October, while the iPhone X launched in November 2017.

Apple's next iPhone, expected to be called the iPhone 12, is rumored to be its first 5G iPhone. Other than 5G connectivity, reports suggest it will come with a fresh design in new screen sizes. It may also come with a LiDAR sensor for enabling better augmented reality performance, much like the most recent iPad Pro.

The comments came after Apple reported a blowout earnings report that saw growth across all product segments — including the iPhone, which had suffered multiple quarters of decline. Apple attributed the iPhone's growth to the new iPhone SE it launched in April, some of the reopenings that took place in May and June, and the popularity of last year's iPhone 11.