One reason to already be worried about the iPhone 8 is its rumored price. The handset may or may not hit the $1,000 mark, but the phone will definitely be more expensive than any of its predecessors. That’s completely understandable given that Apple’s new creation will pack a bunch of features that will have never been seen on an iPhone. However, these novel features apparently come with an unwanted side-effect: For the first time in years, Apple may have to postpone the launch of the new iPhone.
A new report from Chinese-language Economic Daily News (via Digitimes) says that Apple may launch its next-gen iPhone in October or November. Apparently, there are “technical issues” related to the lamination process of the new OLED screens, as well as the adoption of a new 3D-sensing system.
Market sources told the site that they’re tracking orders for passive iPhone components to determine whether the production of new iPhone is on track. The supply chain should begin to pull in orders for passive components as soon as July, the supply chain sources said.
While this report delivers bad news, it’s not the first time we’ve heard that the iPhone 8 won’t be widely available after launch. In fact, this story seems to echo the same concerns we’ve heard of before, without offering any details on the incoming iPhone 7s series.
Apple could still unveil the three iPhones it plans to launch this year in September and kick off preorders immediately after the event. In such a scenario, the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will probably be available immediately soon after the event and the iPhone 8 could go on sale later.
Whatever the case, the Christmas quarter is crucial for Apple’s bottom line, and it’ll obviously want to sell as many new iPhones as it can by the end of December.
