14 DAY TRIAL // Apple will introduce its new iPhone lineup next week during a September 12 press conference, but several sources, citing different people with knowledge of the matter, indicate that the anniversary model, presumably called iPhone 8, iPhone X, or iPhone Edition, will be delayed.
While a confirmation from Apple doesn’t obviously exist, several different reliable sources pointing to an iPhone 8 delay is living proof that the anniversary iPhone is very unlikely to become available together with the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, whose production is reportedly on track.
After the Wall Street Journal reported earlier today that the iPhone 8 would be delayed because of production glitches, TechCrunch reveals via “trusted sources” that cannot be named for obvious reasons that the new special-edition iPhone “will ship at a later time.”
At this point, it’s not clear how long the iPhone 8 would be held back, but the WSJ is estimating approximately one month, which means the new model could go live in October or November the latest.
Public unveiling next week
All 3 iPhone models will be presented by Apple at the company’s press event next week, but due to the production struggles, the anniversary device won’t hit the market together with the 7s and the 7s Plus.
This means that while the two upgrades to the current iPhone 7 would go up for pre-order on September 15 (the first Friday after the event) and hit the shelves on September 22, the iPhone 8 might only go live at some point in October.
One of the reasons that caused the iPhone 8 delay is Apple’s struggle to embed the fingerprint sensor into the display. The project has reportedly failed and Apple took the decision to remove Touch ID entirely only at the very last minute, with the company now to offer facial recognition and passwords to secure the iPhones.
It remains to be seen how long the iPhone 8 is going to be held back, but with so many different sources pointing to a delay, don’t be too surprised when Apple confirms next week that only the 7s and the 7s Plus would go live this month.