14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is likely to face a new delay with its next-generation smartphone, according to a new report. An unnamed supply chain source in Taiwan says the company is still trying to find a coating material that works well with a fingerprint sensor.
The next-generation iPhone from Apple is said to sport biometrics technology which allows users to unlock certain functions using a fingerprint sensor.
The technology is far from new, but it would be a first for the iPhone and for Apple itself.
However, the very function that will reportedly make the iPhone 5S stand out from other smartphones is said to be its nemesis.
A supplier in Taiwan tells Reuters that the company initially expected to start work on the handset in June.
These plans are now likely to be postponed, as Apple is having difficulty finding the appropriate coating material that blends well with the reported sensor.
“A supply chain source in Taiwan said Apple was trying to find a coating material that did not interfere with the fingerprint sensor, and this may be causing a delay,” the report states.
However, if we’re to assume Apple hasn’t changed the iPhone’s refresh cycle (which, for the past two years, has completed a full circle every fall), the iPhone 5S might actually not be delayed at all.
It was the analysts who spawned rumors of Apple refreshing its iPhone early this year, but if the last two years are any indication, the company still has plenty of time to adjust its component and manufacturing orders.
Also widely rumored by the analysts (and not so much by the people who actually know a thing or two about Apple) is that the company is coming out with a cheaper version of the iPhone this year.
If that’s the case, then we really shouldn’t hold our collective breath for an announcement too soon.