A new rumor suggests that iPhone 12 handsets could be in short supply when the new phone debuts later this year. COVID-19 has disrupted Apple’s usual supply chain and manufacturing operations, so the tech giant is reportedly planning to delay the mass production of its next handheld device.

However, it is worth noting that that does not necessarily mean that the phone itself has been delayed. Though Apple is not yet ready for mass production, it will still be manufacturing new phones between July and September. The disruption simply means that Apple will not be able to produce as many of them as it would in ordinary circumstances, which is why it may be hard to get a hold of the iPhone 12 at launch.

Apple typically unveils new iPhones in September, and begins shipping them later that same month. That schedule is only possible due to large scale manufacturing efforts over the summer. At the moment, it’s still unclear if the coronavirus will force Apple to make any other changes to its timeline.

Apple is expected to unveil four new iPhone models this year, and there has already been a considerable amount of speculation about their potential features. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that Apple will not introduce in-display Touch ID until 2021, though other prognosticators believe that the technology could arrive in this year’s batch of phones.

Either way, it seems likely that the iPhone 12 will still support Face ID, at least according to some design schematics that leaked earlier this month. Apple reintroduced Touch ID in the newly released iPhone SE, although the budget-friendly device placed the fingerprint scanner in the home button rather than the screen. In that regard, it is more like older iPhone models than it is like the anticipated next-generation phones with in-display technology.

Source: The Verge