Coronavirus causes Apple to scrap iPhone 9 launch event: Report

It is not known if the March 31 event will be rescheduled

The coronavirus has reportedly forced Apple to cancel an event that was scheduled to help launch the next iPhone, according to the New York Post.

The event on March 31, was to help reveal a new, lower-priced phone that may be named either iPhone 9 or iPhone SE2.

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The debut was called off in part to reduce risk of spreading the coronavirus, according to tech blog Cult of Mac.

The blog said that it wasn't clear yet if the event will be rescheduled.

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Santa Clara County, where Apple is headquartered, recently banned events involving 1,000 or more people for the remainder of the month.

Apple didn’t respond to the Post for comment Wednesday.

CORONAVIRUS HAS APPLE WARNING STORES ABOUT A SHORTAGE OF REPLACEMENT IPHONES

Apple has warned retail employees about shortages, which would be an indication of the coronavirus having an impact on the company’s supply chain, according to Bloomberg.

The postponement also arrives as the viral epidemic has wreaked havoc on Apple's Chinese production lines.

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Apple suppliers Foxconn and Dialog Semi have commented that the China-based supply chain should be mostly back in action by the end of this month.