Apple reportedly will cut back on the iPhone production due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.
The rumoured iPhone SE 2 was expected to launch in March but may now be pushed back due to the Coronavirus outbreak in China which has affected production in several factories across the Wuhan area of China affecting auto-production and now Apple factories are being affected.
According to Nikkei, and Asia market advisor website reports that the effect of the virus may affect Apple factories along with several factories that had already been affected by the outbreak.
The leading tech giant was reported to have placed orders for 65 million older iPhones (mainly the iPhone 11 series), and also 15 million iPhone SE 2 models, but suppliers think the Coronavirus outbreak will affect production schedules.
It is not expected that iPhone production will be affected but the SE 2 may be pushed back to allow for enough phones to be made in order to meet the demand for already available Apple devices.
The Nobel Coronavirus can be traced back to last year’s first outbreak in the Hubei province of China which is central China. Hubei shares a border with Hanan province where one of Apple’s plants lives, the other plant is located in the Guangdong province, in south-east China which is a densely populated part. Should the virus break out there it would prove much more difficult to control.
The Hubei outbreak was quickly arrested but cases of the virus keep popping up all over the world with 100 people reportedly killed by it. Containing the virus and protecting the lives of workers is of a higher priority than making phones.
It is worth noting that the March that was a rumour in the first instance so in case nothing happens in March it’s probably due to the virus but if Apple had indeed planned a launch for March, a push will be necessary.