California-based tech giant Apple may delay its iPhone 12 announcement event, expected for September, due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The company had delayed the launch of its new iPhone 12 by over a year into 2021 when the pandemic first began affecting tech companies across the globe.
Now, Apple is considering pushing the announcement into October to avoid a gap between the event and handsets reaching store shelves – the iPhone maker will have more stores reopened by that point, according to Jon Prosser, a reliable Apple insider.
Prosser, who correctly reported the release date of the iPhone SE, says that there is also the possibility that a later iPhone 12 launch event could allow more reporters and analysts to attend in person. WeeklyVoice.com reports that 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 models will be available with 128GB or 256GB of storage and that 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro models will have 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options.
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Prosser has also claimed that the upcoming 5.4-inch iPhone 12 may start from $649 while 6.1-inch iPhone 12 may come with a price tag of $749. The 6.1-inch device will also support 5G connectivity and ship with a dual-camera setup at the rear.
Wired EarPods may not be included in the iPhone 12 box to boost AirPod sales
According to the latest report by analyst and insider Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple may not be planning to include the wired EarPods earphones in iPhone 12 boxes. Naturally, this would drive sales for Apple AirPods. This means that if customers want earphones with their iPhone 12, they’ll have to buy them separately.
Kuo suggests that Apple may heavily promote or discount the AirPods this holiday season, with no new models of AirPods or AirPods Pro expected until 2021.
When the iPhone 7 removed a headphone jack, the inconvenience was mitigated by the inclusion of EarPods in the box — most people just use the earbuds the phone comes with. 9to5Mac suggests that if Apple no longer offers it, that means customers needing new earbuds will be forced to buy either MFi Lightning proprietary wired headphones like EarPods, or spend more on Bluetooth wireless options such as AirPods.
Through Apple retail, customers can buy a pair of EarPods for $29 and the base model AirPods start at $159. For the last couple of years, there has been some speculation that Apple would offer a bundle of iPhone and AirPods for a combined discount. This could be one of the “promotion plan” strategies Kuo refers to.
Edited by Luis Monzon
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