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Apple COO Williams won't say whether the 5G 2020 iPhone 12 models will arrive late

By Alan Friedman

Published: May 07, 2020, 5:29 PM

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Apple COO Williams won't say whether the 5G 2020 iPhone 12 models will arrive late

A week ago Apple released its fiscal second-quarter earnings report covering the three months from January through March. During this period, Apple suffered a 6.7% year-over-year drop in iPhone revenue, dealt with the closing and reopening of its supply chain and the 42 Apple Stores in China. Apple says that its crystal ball was too foggy to venture a guess about how it would perform during the current fiscal third quarter. However, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams spoke with Fox Business News and expressed his optimism about a rebound for the broader American economy once the coronavirus era comes to a close.

Right off the bat, Williams made it clear that he was feeling good about the U.S. economy in general and Apple specifically. "As you look around, you see the resilience of the people working through this challenging time," the executive said. "And when I take a look inside of Apple, I couldn't be more encouraged." Williams pointed out that even during an environment that could be considered challenging, to say the least, Apple was able to launch three products including a refreshed version of the iPad Pro (both 11-inch and 12.9-inch models), the second-generation iPhone SE and a new MacBook Pro.

Apple is not a work-at-home kind of company notes Williams

Earlier this week, Apple announced that it will be virtually hosting the online version of its annual WWDC Developers Conference on June 22nd. The event is being streamed for free via the Apple Developer website which is saving developers the $1,500 they usually pay for tickets to the event. We could see the introduction of another product during virtual WWDC, the Apple AirTags tracking device. The small round tags will have a removable battery and will work with the U1 ultra wideband chip found on the iPhone 11 series and the Find My app. Users will attach the tag to a keyring, a dog collar, a bicycle, a briefcase and just about anything that can get lost.

Apple could introduce the AirTags tracking system at WWDC which will livestream starting on June 22nd

For Apple to continue churning out products during the pandemic, its supply chain will need to be running normally. Williams says, "You know, our supply chains are running largely at capacity, and people are continuing to work. I couldn't be prouder of the Apple team and how resourceful they've been. You'll see us opening retail stores in the coming weeks and like I said, we're bullish in the long haul." But Williams is not an economist as he points out. So he says that he is wearing his COO hat when making this forecast; most company executives are always a bit more optimistic about the future.

Williams was asked about the contradictory reports regarding the unveiling and release of the 5G 2020 iPhone 12 series. Some analysts are expecting a traditional September release of the first 5G iPhone models later this year while others expect a delay of one to three months. There are even a small number of analysts who don't see the new handsets launching until early next year. Apple's COO says that the company ignores the noise and simply keeps looking ahead. As Williams puts it, "We just put our head down and don't pay a lot of attention to the latest sort of speculation about our products. We put our head down and get our work done. I couldn't be prouder of the team finding new ways to get their job done. We're not typically a work-at-home kind of culture at Apple, it's not part of our playbook. And people have been really resourceful and we're moving the ball forward. We are getting stuff done."

Williams was given the COO job on December 17, 2015, and he wanted to correct a misconception that Apple's device production relies on its contract manufacturers in China. "Our products are global products and so... they aren't built in one location. There's a real misconception about that. And our products are built around the world, with a ton of that right here in the United States. I see we'll have a global supply chain for quite some time and that's going to allow us to make the very best products for our customers."

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.