Every year the smartphone industry seems to one-up itself. However, with global travel bans and the world slowing down, Coronavirus may have delayed many releases.
Since the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, many countries have put travel, work and socialising bans in place to prevent the spread of the virus. This has also included the temporary closing of non-essential businesses in the UK. The combination of these actions may mean that companies are unable to produce their devices on time for their launch date.
The BBC reported that, “Sources have told the Japanese publication Nikkei that Apple is weighing up whether to delay that launch” of their new iPhone 12; the first smartphone to have incorporated 5G technology. This may also be true for Android phone manufacturer, Samsung.
Both Apple and Samsung rely on using components made in China and South Korea – two of the most affected countries.
It’s not just the production of these devices that will have been affected by the pandemic, with the temporary closure of all Apple and other tech stores, distribution will also have to be taken into consideration. Manufacturer’s rely on their release dates to increase revenue tenfold.
No one can say for sure how this will effect this year’s smartphones, only time will tell.
