FCC Shutdown Stalls Apple’s New Releases: Are Your Favorite Gadgets Delayed?

It has been a month since the United States entered a government shutdown, triggered by the lack of a budget agreement in Congress. Only essential government services continue to operate under such circumstances, leaving many activities of the FCC on hold. Consequently, the Federal Communications Commission has been unable to operate its product certification service for radio-emitting devices for a month, a crucial process that ensures electronic devices comply with U.S. standards. For companies like Apple, this means they cannot launch new products in the U.S. that require Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities without prior approval from the FCC.

According to The Verge, this situation is becoming increasingly problematic for many manufacturers planning to release new products in time for the holiday season. Goods are literally stuck on ships waiting to be cleared for entry. Several companies have had to postpone the launch of some products or resort to releasing them internationally instead. The backlog won’t be resolved quickly: once the shutdown ends, the FCC will face a significantly elongated waiting list that has accumulated over several weeks.

We often discuss the FCC in our articles, as the U.S. agency maintains a public database (currently offline due to the shutdown) which sometimes contains valuable information about Apple products. On October 1st, the FCC disclosed that Apple had received certification for a new range of iPad Pro, a new Apple Vision Pro, and a new MacBook Pro, which were all revealed two weeks later.

Is the launch of new Apple products impacted by this shutdown? Indeed, there are expectations for three more hardware announcements this year, including new models of Apple TV, HomePod mini, and AirTags. An interesting hint about this was noted on Apple’s website. Two weeks ago, Apple announced a renaming of its video streaming service from Apple TV+ to simply Apple TV, dropping the plus sign. Normally, this should have been followed by an update to the “TV & Home” page on Apple’s website to reflect the change, but this has not happened yet. It seems as if Apple is waiting for something that will allow it to overhaul this section, which also includes Apple TV and the HomePod…

One thing is certain: if Apple plans to launch new electronic products and they have not received certification prior to the shutdown, it will currently be impossible to sell them in the United States, and it is likely that Apple might choose to delay their unveiling.