Apple iPhone fans eager to get their hands on new models may have to wait a month or two longer than usual, according to a new report out of China, where the iconic smartphone is manufactured.
Difficulties with a new display may delay the launch of the 2017 iPhone until October or November, Digitimes reported, citing a Chinese-language report in the Economic Daily News. Apple is using an OLED screen for the new iPhones, requiring a complicated lamination process to attach the curved panels to the phone, the paper said.
But Digitimes does not have a perfect track record in reporting on Apple rumors. A check several years ago found 16 out of 25 rumors about Apple that the Taiwanese paper reported turned out to be either mostly or completely wrong.
A lot is riding on the upcoming iPhones. Apple is expected to sell 70 million or more of them this year, according to Wall Street analyst estimates. Apple’s share price has gained 25% so far this year, beating the 5% rise in the S&P 500 Index, largely on anticipation of strong sales.
Sales of the iPhone line slipped on an annual basis last year for the first time since the device was introduced in 2007. That was in part because Apple decided not to redesign the exterior, sticking with an appearance that debuted in 2015. At least one model of this year’s iPhone is widely rumored to be a complete redesign, with a brighter OLED screen that runs from one edge of the phone to the other. Samsung last month introduced its new Galaxy S8 phone with a curved, edge-to-edge OLED screen.
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Coins2Day reached out to Apple (AAPL) for comment on the Digitimes report and will update this story if any is received.
The rumor of a possible delay is arising from the supply chain of Apple manufacturers in Asia, Digitimes reported. Companies such as Foxconn and Pegatron assemble iPhones from parts supplied by other manufacturers, many also located in China.
The new annual versions of the iPhone are typically the best-selling individual models of smartphones in the world, although Samsung sells more total phones than Apple.
