Apple Postpones Alleged March Product Event Amid Coronavirus Restrictions

Apple is postponing a March event that would have seen the introduction of new products like the low-cost iPhone and iPad Pro with triple-lens camera setup, according to a source at Apple that spoke to Cult of Mac.

apple park drone june 2018 2
Apple allegedly became "concerned" about bringing people together at Apple Park for the event, said to be planned for late March. There was a rumor in February suggesting Apple would hold an event on March 31, but Apple never announced the event so there was no confirmation that it was going to happen.

It's no surprise that if there was indeed a March event planned that it has now been canceled. Yesterday, Santa Clara County, which is where Cupertino is located, banned all gatherings of 1,000 people or more. The ban lasts from March 11 to April 1, so Apple could not hold a large event in March even if it wanted to.

While the order from Santa Clara County was said to have been a major factor in the decision to postpone the event, Cult of Mac's source also claims that there were "delays in producing two of the primary products," which also led Apple to call off event plans.

Many of Apple's suppliers in China were forced to close their factories in February due to the coronavirus, which may have caused production delays on devices like the low-cost ‌iPhone‌. Factories are back up and running, but are experiencing lower than normal production levels because of travel restrictions and staffing shortages.

Apple is now said to be waiting to better evaluate the "production schedule of components" and "final product assembly," making it difficult to determine a firm product announcement plan.

Given Santa Clara County's ban, it's clear that there's not going to be a March event, but there have been a lot of mixed rumors on product availability and the production status of devices like the new ‌iPad Pro‌ and the low-cost ‌iPhone‌.

Even with no event, Apple could choose to unveil these products in March through a press release, though the aforementioned possible production issues could delay the announcements, too.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which typically takes place in June, is also in jeopardy. The event normally attracts around 5,000 developers who convene at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.

The Santa Clara County ban does not extend to June at this time, but Apple may still choose to cancel the conference given the unknowns of how the coronavirus will spread in the area in the coming weeks.

WWDC announcements usually come a couple months ahead of when the conference is planned to give developers time to purchase airfare and reserve hotel rooms, so it's possible we could hear about Apple's WWDC plans soon.

Even if Apple does not hold an in-person developer event, it could still choose to unveil new software through a virtual event and host virtual gatherings for developers.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

puttputt Avatar
69 months ago

It's just a variation of the flu. And it only kills weak gramps and grams, like that grandma in Dante's Peak.
Yeah, well... if some 30 year old numbnut goes and picks up the Corona Crud and sneezes in gramps' Manhattan three days later, he just killed gramps.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GadgetBen Avatar
69 months ago
Just stream Tim on stage. No audience needed.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seadragon Avatar
69 months ago

It's just a variation of the flu. And it only kills weak gramps and grams, like that grandma in Dante's Peak.
Absolutely false. First, it’s NOT a flu virus. Second, Doctors in their 20s and 30s have died from it including the one in China that first alerted people to it. He was 34.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
69 months ago

Just stream Tim on stage. No audience needed.
My thoughts exactly. In fact, Tim Cook might genuinly benefit from being able to record his sections of the presentation in multiple takes given his deadly allergy to charisma.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KittyKatta Avatar
69 months ago
“Unannounced event based on rumor from unreputable source cancelled”

I really do wonder if any event was planned in the first place or if it was always planned as a website refresh.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2010mini Avatar
69 months ago

It's just a variation of the flu. And it only kills weak gramps and grams, like that grandma in Dante's Peak.
some things just aren’t funny.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)