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on track

Foxconn tells investors 5G iPhone still ready for autumn

Foxconn investor relations chief Alex Yang reportedly told investors on a conference call this morning...
Stephen Warwick

Fake iPhone 12 conceptSource: Rene Ritchie / iMore

What you need to know

  • Foxconn has reportedly told investors the 5G iPhone is still on track.
  • That's despite reports Apple is considering delaying the device.
  • There are several mixed reports about the 5G iPhone's readiness and release schedule.

A Bloomberg report claims that Foxconn has reassured investors that the 5G iPhone is still ready for an autumn launch.

According to its Virus Update page:

Apple Inc.'s most important manufacturing partner reassured investors it can still get the latest 5G-enabled iPhones ready for an autumn debut. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which makes most of the world's iPhones, told investors it's lost time to travel restrictions and other disruptions caused by the pandemic. But with months to go before the first trial assembly lines start in June, Hon Hai can still make the deadline, investor relations chief Alex Yang said on a private conference call hosted by Goldman Sachs.

Just last week it was reported that Apple was currently weighing up whether it should delay the release of the 5G iPhone, probably the iPhone 12, to 2021. From that report:

In a new report by the Nikkei Asian Review, sources familiar with Apple's supply chain say that the company is beginning to weigh whether or not to delay the 5G iPhone for a number of months. One source says that the discussions are still not finalized, but the phone could be delayed to 2021.

The report cited the global COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on Apple's supply chain. Jon Prosser has also previously tweeted that the iPhone 12 is due to be delayed and that we should expect it in October or November. He cited the current travel restrictions which have prevented Apple from even finishing the prototyping for the new device.

Given this latest news comes directly from investor relations at Foxconn, it may well be that this is being propagated to quell investor fears that the next flagship iPhone, a cash cow for Foxconn, will be delayed. It seems hard to imagine that given the massive disruption to Apple's operation both at home and abroad, that the iPhone 12 will emerge unscathed and on schedule.