The iPhone 8, is a smartphone for which many are obsessed, and that’s even before Apple officially announces its existence. Of those labeled that, you can guarantee a good percentage are Apple fans who upgrade every year. While the remaining majority fall into the anticipation bracket. That’s those, who are waiting to see if the iPhone 10th Anniversary rumors are true. Will they be? That is for the future; however, recent reports have suggested its release date could be put back due to its new exciting features.
iPhone 8
As recently as last week Apple CEO, Tim Cook, was reported to have been blaming iPhone 8 rumors for a fall in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus sales. Apparently, the rumored promise of a next generation iPhone 8 with wondrous mobile industry changing features is a hit. The problem for Apple, however, is while they may be working on a new iPhone, right now the priority is the 7’s.
Additionally, there have been rumors circling about how the company and its manufacturing partners are struggling. It appears that such a high-tech device comes with technological hurdles. Which like Samsung with its Galaxy S8, may mean a longer wait, or the shelving of better features for keeping to release dates.
Conflicting Release Date Rumors
The problem, when it comes to pre-announcement rumors is, no one knows. Yes, there are those who has insider information, but, for the most part, the big picture isn’t known. As such, all we can go on are the rumors, so when will it be September, or later?
In the last few weeks, many sources have suggested the iPhone 8, could be launched in September. However, for unclear reasons, they state that it will be on limited pre-order, finally hitting the shelves as late as November. Alternatively, other extreme opinions suggest we could have to wait beyond Christmas, which is not likely. Apple relies heavily on the holiday period to boost its sales figures for the 4th quarter.
On Schedule
As for speculation about limited availability until November, this notion has been quashed in a recent report by the DigiTimes. It has picked up on a story in the Chinese-language Economic Daily News, and has extrapolated it to mean something different!
Apparently, there will be no delayed launch or a limited roll-out of the iPhone 8. Why, because Apple and its manufacturing partners are on schedule to have it ready in time for a September announcement. After which, “it will” launch in October.
As for all the current rumored component delays, are they rubbish?
Ramp Up Production
Continuing with the on schedule report, the likes of TSMC, the chip supplier, Simplo Technology, the battery supplier. And then others such as Zheng Ding Technology and Kinsus Interconnect Technology are waiting for Apple for the go-ahead. So much, so, that a ramp up of production could start as early a June.
Concerning individual components, like the A11 chip, TSMC, will indeed begin production next month. And then begin to deliver in bulk at the end of July. As for Foxconn, Pegatron, and Winstron, they are believed to be inserting more urgency into their hiring and training processes. This too is thought to be in preparation for the imminent arrival of iPhone 8 components and its subsequent construction.
What About Touch ID?
Returning to what may cause delays if any, one huge new feature, will be the OLED display. Which for a long time now, has been reported to have Apple’s fingerprint reading tech, Touch ID embedded into it. However, the recent DigiTimes report had no mention of it, which could be taken in two ways.
1. There’s absolutely no new news surrounding it, and it will still be incorporated into the screen as the rumors have suggested.
2. The appearance of Touch ID while guaranteed on the iPhone 8, is yet to be resolved. And as of yet, all there are is conflicting rumors. As such, this one feature could be the reason for why the handset is delayed, if you believe that narrative.
However, a recent report from Tech Radar, has indicated that this one component is be the reason for rumor confusion. Why? Apparently tipped off by an analyst at CLSA, the report says the iPhone 8 will come with an edge-to-edge display. But, Touch ID, will be relegated to the rear of the device, which will make a September announcement possible.
Who is this Analyst, what’s his/her name? We don’t know, but, if true, it would mean the iPhone 8 will have a release date sometime in October. Although it would also mean, the supposed biggest innovation being waited for by Apple fans doesn’t happen.
Conclusion
From the conflicting rumor reports, a picture is building, one which shows that Apple may be facing the same problems as Samsung. Should it continue to try and solve the fingerprint sensor underneath the screen problem and delay the iPhone 8 release date? Or follow the South Korean’s lead and place it at the rear, and focus on other easier to implement improvements?
What would you do, Apple will surely do what’s right for its bottom line and shareholders. However, with fans expecting such a huge leap in iPhone technology, can it afford to compromise?
