Major Apple component maker Broadcom hints at iPhone 12 delay

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iPhone 12 with LiDAR scanner
Another source suggests iPhone buyers shouldn’t get their hopes up for a September iPhone 12 launch.
Photo: svetapple.sk

The CEO of chipmaker Broadcom said on Thursday an unnamed “North American mobile phone customer” won‘t be introducing a “next-generation phone” in the third quarter of this year, as it normally does. The release will occur in the fourth quarter instead.

This statement from Hock Tan is being widely interpreted to mean this iPhone component supplier doesn’t expect the next iOS handset to debut in September, the usual month.

Broadcom carefully did not say ‘Apple’ or ‘iPhone 12’

Apple has long been a major customer for Broadcom. In the most recent deal between the two U.S. companies, Apple agreed to buy from Broadcom $15 billion in wireless components for various iPhone models.

And the chip maker warned investors on Thursday that its Q3 revenue would be down for a reason out of its control. “We would normally expect to see a double-digit sequential uplift in revenue from the ramp of next-generation phone at our large North American mobile phone customer,” Tan told investors today, according to Reuters. “However, this year, we do not expect to see this uptick in revenue until our fourth fiscal quarter.”

Analysts reportedly think that unnamed N. American company is Apple, according to Reuters. And Bloomberg concurs. That’s not good news for the iPhone 12.

2020 iPhone release date is possibly October

Previous reports have pointed to a delayed release of the iPhone 12. Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in April that some versions wouldn’t be out until October. A trusted source familiar with Apple’s plans told Cult of Mac something similar. Digitimes recently piled on as well.

The delay supposedly comes from difficulties getting production started during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to numerous sources, Apple is planning no less than four iPhone 12 versions. These include a standard of tier of 5.4- and 6.1-inch handsets, as well as 6.1- and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro models. All will feature redesigned chassis and OLED displays.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 Pro will supposedly have an improved LiDAR 3D scanner like the one in the latest iPad Pro. The handsets will be the first in Apple history to 5G capabilities.

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