14 DAY TRIAL // Rumor has it that Apple might delay the iPhone 8 for a month or two, with the company to present the device at a September event, but only start sales in October or November.
This is no longer the case, however, according to information posted on Twitter by leaker Benjamin Geskin, who has a good track on details regarding unreleased iPhones.
Geskin claims that “Foxconn started trial production of 3 new iPhones (7s, 7s Plus, 8). About 200 units per day. iPhone 8 is not delayed.” And although at first glance that might seem like very good news for Apple and its fans across the world, there are several details that still need some clarification at this point.
First of all, as Geskin puts it, this is just trial production, and not the actual mass production that starts ahead of a new product launch.
Since it’s already late July and Apple is projected to take the wraps off the new iPhones in September, granting just one month for the mass production of the biggest iPhone overhaul in history seems odd to say the least. The timing, however, appears to indicate an October or November release, which would in the end represent a delay for the new iPhone 8.
Foxconn making just 200 units per day
And second of all, the tweet reveals that Foxconn is building just 200 units per day, which is an unexpectedly low volume if Apple indeed wants to launch the iPhone 8 together with the other two new models.
If the same production rate would be maintained until September 26 when Apple could begin sales of the new iPhone generation, this means that only some 12,800 units manufactured by Foxconn would be ready. This figure, however, is expected to increase as mass production starts, but also with help from other iPhone makers, including Pegatron.
Despite the tweet, all signs seem to be pointing to an iPhone 8 delay, even though Apple hasn’t said a single thing about the new model. There are obviously several unknown details at this point, including the location of the fingerprint sensor, and this is one of the reasons the device could actually be delayed.