A new report from Digitimes quotes sources in the supply chain as saying that Apple is working to secure a massive stockpile of camera lens modules from smaller Chinese suppliers. Either Tim Cook has a thing for having useless inventory on hand, or more likely, it’s another sure-fire sign that an iPhone 8 is coming in September.
The report singles out two smaller manufacturers as the source of dual-lens camera modules for Apple:
The sources said that Apple, scheduled to debut its newest smartphone model iPhone 8 in September, has since July moved to secure massive supply of camera lens modules from Taiwan-based upstream suppliers Largan Precision and Genius Electronics Optical while ensuring timely shipments of finished models from downstream assemblers Foxconn Electronics and Pegatron. This has made the business records of all related makers in the iPhone supply chain trend upward all the way in the second half of the year.
The iPhone 8 is widely expected to come with a dual-camera setup, which will enable the same cool camera tricks we’ve seen with the iPhone 7 Plus, as well as help with all the augmented reality features that are coming in iOS 11.
Supply-chain sources are already suggesting that Apple is going to have a tough time manufacturing enough iPhone 8 units to meet demand. The company has reportedly been having problems getting a Touch ID sensor underneath the screen to work, as well as producing enough OLED screens for the 5.8-inch iPhone 8 display.
