Analyst: 5G iPhone will likely launch this fall despite rumors

Loup Ventures’ Gene Munster says he thinks Apple’s 5G iPhone will indeed launch this fall despite rumors that it will be delayed for “month” due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a misunderstanding that an iPhone is designed in a year. Johny Srouji, Apple’s head of Hardware Technologies has commented that engineers and designers can work on iPhone features for years in advance of the launch,” he says. “We estimate that it typically takes 3-4 years to take an iPhone from concept to launch. That implies that by the end of March in a given year, the vast majority of work on an iPhone design and planning with the supply chain is already done.

Munster does adds that demand for the upcoming iPhone will likely be muted initially, as it will reflect overall consumer demand in the fall “which we expect to be soft.” However, Loup Ventures remains optimistic that “over the next five years, 5G’s impact on our lives will exceed its hype.”