The iPhone 8 is already expected to be delayed compared to its predecessors. Reports say that Apple will unveil it during a regular September event alongside the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plys. It will then go on sale in the weeks following the keynote, but only in small numbers, according to these rumors. How long will we have to wait to see the iPhone 8 hit in stores in bulk? Conflicting reports have said it could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Now, a new story indicates we might be in for a huge wait. And if this new report pans out, the iPhone 7s may see some delays of its own.
Chinese-language Economic Daily News, as cited by Digitimes, says that mass production of the OLED iPhone will be delayed to November or December. The iPhone 8, or whatever Apple calls it, will be the only OLED iPhone this year. But the iPhone 7s may also experience some delays.
Apparently, yield rates at Foxconn and Pegatron have not reached levels that meet Apple’s needs for mass production, the report notes. That’s to say production of the new iPhones has indeed begun, but nobody’s happy about the output so far.
Foxconn is handling 95% of Apple’s OLED iPhone orders, and a small volume of 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch orders, the report said. Pegatron is the main beneficiary of iPhone 7s orders, with a 65% share. Wistron will manufacture 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus units.
The report says that iPhone 7s production is expected to “enter full swing” in August, which is anywhere between one and two months later than regular mass production schedules for new iPhones. If accurate, that could mean all three of Apple’s next-generation iPhone handsets will be next to impossible to find when they’re first released later this summer.
