Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known analyst, is back to talk about "serious supply difficulties" that could delay the arrival of the new iPhone 8 on the market
Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities is, usually, a reliable source. The analyst claims that the mass production of the next iPhone could start only in October, if not even in November, later than the traditional "time window" of August and September.
An eventuality that, if it turns out to be correct, would mean that at least until the end of the year, or shortly before, the iPhone 8 - or whatever Apple will decide to call them - would be available in limited quantities, certainly not enough to cover the demand. All the fault of the new technologies that, according to rumors, should celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Apple Phone. We refer, specifically, to the change of display from the traditional LCD to an edge-to-edge OLED, to the wireless charging system, to the A11 processor at 10 nanometers, to the 3D sensing camera.
Will Apple be able to keep to the schedule?
Ming-Chi Kuo had predicted shipments of the new iPhones to reach up to 110 million in the second half of 2017, but now - latest information in hand - he has revised his estimates downward by 15 to 25 percent: he now expects 80, or at most 90 million units. The delays, if any, would only affect anniversary iPhones. Apple, again according to rumors that have been circulating for some time now, will launch two more new iPhones within the year - "iPhone 7s" and "iPhone 7s Plus" - which will feature largely the same design as the iPhone 7 series. While the iPhone 8, it is assumed, will feature a 5.2-inch OLED screen, the "iPhone 7s" series will continue to offer the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD panels as previous models. The question is whether they will still appeal to high-end users.