Summary created by Smart Answers AI<\/p>\n
In summary:Macworld reports that Apple\u2019s foldable iPhone remains on track for a September launch, according to respected leaker Mark Gurman.This contradicts earlier Nikkei Asia reports suggesting potential delays until December 2026 or 2027 due to engineering challenges.The device\u2019s complexity may result in limited initial supply, though launch timing isn\u2019t definitively final with five months remaining.<\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s biggest launch of the year is still scheduled to take place in September, according to a respected leaker. This report follows claims that the product faced manufacturing difficulties and could be delayed for months, potentially pushing shipments back to December or even early 2027.<\/p>\n
In an article for Bloomberg<\/a> this week, Mark Gurman says Apple\u2019s first folding phone \u201cis on track to arrive during the company\u2019s normal iPhone launch period later this year.\u201d That launch period is September, which is when almost every flagship iPhone (as opposed to the budget models, which come out in spring) has been announced since 2012, and most have been shipped.<\/p>\n There have been a couple of exceptions. In 2020, the iPhone 12 event was pushed back to October as a result of the COVID pandemic, and two of the models didn\u2019t ship until November. Similarly, 2022\u2019s iPhone 14 Plus didn\u2019t ship until October despite being announced as usual in September.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Nikkei Asia published an article predicting that 2026 could see a similar or even worse delay as a result of \u201csetbacks in the engineering test phase.\u201d The outlet cited multiple \u201csources briefed on the matter\u201d and named the complexity of foldable devices, rather than current component shortages, as the reason why, in the worst-case scenario, the first iPhone Fold shipments could be delayed by \u201cmonths.\u201d Apple shares fell by more than 5 percent after this story appeared.<\/p>\n And no wonder. As we\u2019ve seen, even a delay of two months would be as bad as anything we\u2019ve seen in the past 14 years. A delay of three would take us up to the December timeframe<\/a> predicted by a lone Barclays analyst last month, while four would push the Fold\u2019s launch back to 2027.<\/p>\n But Gurman does not agree with this assessment: Indeed, he specifically refers to his sources \u201crebutting\u201d the concerns, and links to the Nikkei article. He acknowledges the Fold\u2019s complexity and admits that supplies are likely to be limited in the first few weeks after it comes out, but insists Apple \u201cis currently operating with a plan to put the device on sale around the same time\u2013or very soon after\u2013the new non-foldable models.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, nothing is certain, and there\u2019s still five months to go until the scheduled launch of the Fold. (Or iPhone Ultra<\/a>.) With this in mind, Gurman concedes that the timing of the launch \u201cisn\u2019t final.\u201d<\/p>\n