Apple’s Budget iPhone Launch Likely To Be Delayed Due To Coronavirus Outbreak In China

Apple's next iPhone -- the iPhone 9 or iPhone SE2 -- is likely to see a delay in launch in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China.

Touted as a budget iPhone, the mass production of the device was supposed to start by the end of this month but may be delayed until sometime in March, according to a report in Nikkei Asian Review.

This follows a warning from the Cupertino-based tech giant that coronavirus outbreak will affect its business in the January-March quarter as global iPhone supply will be temporarily constrained.

In an investor update late on Monday (17 February), the tech giant said it no longer expects to meet the revenue guidance it provided last month for the upcoming quarter.

"Work is starting to resume around the country, but we are experiencing a slower return to normal conditions than we had anticipated. As a result, we do not expect to meet the revenue guidance we provided for the March quarter due to two main factors," the company said in a statement.

The first is that worldwide iPhone supply will be temporarily constrained.

"While our iPhone manufacturing partner sites are located outside the Hubei province -- and while all of these facilities have reopened -- they are ramping up more slowly than we had anticipated," said the company.

The second is that demand for its products within China has been affected.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)