14 DAY TRIAL // Even though recent reports claimed the iPhone 8 wouldn't be delayed, it turns out there was some truth behind all these rumors and Apple is indeed planning to hold back the release of its new flagship device.
That’s what a report from Korean media The Investor claims, with people close to the matter revealing Apple now plans to take the wraps off the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus in September, while the iPhone 8 would only arrive in November.
The reason for the delay appears to be design of the iPhone 8, as Apple had a hard time determining the position of the fingerprint sensor. Speculation has it that Apple wanted to embed Touch ID into the display, but due to technical issues, the company started looking into alternative solutions, including giving up entirely on the fingerprint sensor and offering instead facial recognition.
Now it turns out that the back of the phone is not finalized just yet, and Apple tried to buy more time in order to get the fingerprint sensor right. The backup plan was to put Touch ID on the back, but this is believed to be a solution that Apple would only come down to as a last resort.
“Apple’s top brass recently approved the September launch of two LCD models, but the OLED iPhone launch is likely to be delayed to November,” the aforementioned source cited a Korean supplier as saying. “The iPhone’s rear design has not yet been finalized. We are still awaiting Apple’s final decision before shipping parts.”
Samsung manufacturing impacted by Apple’s hesitancy
Because Apple couldn’t decide where to put the fingerprint sensor, the company held back the entire manufacturing process, with a strong impact on all its suppliers, including Samsung.
The South Korean firm, which is in charge of shipping the OLED displays for the iPhone 8, planned to begin the production process in the first half of this year, but the schedule was pushed back to July because of Apple’s hesitation regarding the fingerprint sensor. Production of OLED displays for the iPhone 8 kicked off last month, but at a small pace, especially because Apple is still working on the device.
“The fact that Samsung’s manufacturing lines are not running at full capacity at the moment hints at the delay of the OLED iPhone launch,” another person familiar with the matter told the source.
Production of the two other iPhones expected to launch this fall, the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, is on track, with suppliers starting shipping parts in June and increasing the pace in July.