Apple said to adopt a phased launch approach for the iPhone 12

While Apple confirmed last week that the new iPhone swould be "available a few weeks later" than usual this year, the company did not reveal if the entire lineup is affected or only certain models will be available at a later date.

The latest report by DigiTimes claims that Apple will be taking a phased launch approach with two 6.1-inch models available in the first phase, and the other two models (5.4-inch and 6.7-inch) available in the second phase.

Sources said substrate-like PCB (SLP) mainboard suppliers recently started shipments for the two 6.1-inch models while shipments for the other two models are expected to begin in late August.

There have been multiple reports on the delayed availability of the iPhone 12 models. Earlier this year, analyst Jeff Pu predicted that the 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch models will be available in September while the 6.7-inch model will be available in October.

Bloomberg reported that some new models could be released several weeks later than normal while Goldman Sachs expects the iPhone 12 to hit retail shelves in November.