As the hype heats up that Apple is preparing to unleash its eighth-generation smartphone, reports are that suppliers to the tech giant are scrambling to get enough screens ready, as the need to redesign a key component disrupted panel productions.
According to Reuters, which cites supply chain sources, it is unclear whether the hiccup could delay the launch or limit the number of phones initially available to consumers. This comes as Apple readies larger-screen iPhones for the year-end shopping season amid market share loss to cheaper rivals.
But the issue highlights the risks and challenges suppliers face to meet Apple's tough specifications, and comes on the heels of a separate screen technology problem, since resolved, in making thinner screens for the larger iPhone 6 model.
Apple has scheduled a media event for 9 September, at which many expect it to unveil the new iPhone 6 with both 4.7-inch (11.94cm) and 5.5-inch (13.97cm) screens - significantly bigger than the 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5S and 5C.
Two supply chain sources said display panel production suffered a setback after the backlight that helps illuminate the screen had to be revised, putting screen assembly on hold for part of June and July. One said Apple, aiming for the thinnest phone possible, initially wanted to cut back to a single layer of backlight film, instead of the standard two layers, for the 4.7-inch screen, which went into mass production ahead of the 5.5-inch version.
But the new configuration was not bright enough and the backlight was sent back to the drawing board to fit in the extra layer, costing precious time and temporarily idling some screen assembly operations, the source said. Output is now back on track and suppliers are working flat-out to make up for lost time, the supply chain sources added.
Rumour mill
Apple's very first iPhone was launched with much fanfare in June 2007. Since then, the tech giant has been bringing out updated versions, with incremental improvements and changes to software and hardware components. The most recent flagship release - the iPhone 5S - was in September last year.
Meanwhile, as Apple's September 2014 announcement draws closer, the rumour mill around what consumers can expect gains pace.
Last year, ahead of the iPhone 5S and Apple's cheaper, plastic-bodied iPhone 5C being brought to market, analysts - and a consumer survey - indicated the long-time darling of the smartphone market was beginning to lose some of its allure. This, said analysts at the time, was largely due to the fact that technology renovations were slowing and other compelling (often cheaper) smartphone options were starting to win over consumers.
These are some of the rumours doing the rounds ahead of Apple's 2014 iPhone:
1. Apple will bring out two different sizes of its new iPhone, a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch model.
2. According to the Daily Mirror, the smaller version will likely feature a resolution of 1 334 x 750 with 326 pixels per inch, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will probably have a resolution of 2 208 x 1 242 with 461 pixels per inch.
3. Russian iPhone vendor Feld & Volk (known for replacing iPhone panels with materials like wood and graphite) recently released a series of images purporting to be a partially assembled iPhone 6 on its Instagram page. The images show a tapered bezel around the device, as well as larger volume buttons in place of the current silencing lever.
4. Gforgames.com recently picked up on what it says are leaked diagrams that reveal Apple's new phone will feature a 0.67mm to 0.77mm protruding camera.
5. UK-based Techradar.com says consumers can expect a "major revision of the iPhone including entire design". The tech site says it is likely the phone will be released - alongside new Apple tablets - next month and predicts prices will start at around $650 (about R7 000).
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