The iPhone 8 could be the biggest launch of the year but it seems Apple is encountering a few production issues, if an analyst’s comments are to be believed.
Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company has issued a note to investors (via AppleInsider) in which he claims Apple is facing yield issues with components for its upcoming handset.
Specifically, the problems seem to relate to the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, which is proving to be a difficult element to redesign.
The next iPhone is expected to arrive with an almost full-face screen, which means the physical home button will likely be scrapped.
Apple has therefore reportedly been looking at integrating the Touch ID sensor below the display, but has run into significant issues.
According to Arcuri: “For the 5.8-inch OLED version, the biggest bottleneck remains integrating an under-glass fingerprint sensor into the display— the current yield rate of Apple’s in-house AuthenTec solution remains low and AAPL seems unwilling to use other vendors’ products.”
What’s more, Arcuri predicts Apple will either move the sensor to the back of the phone, much like Samsung with the Galaxy S8, or delay iPhone 8 production while still announcing it alongside the rumoured iPhone 7S later this year.
Apple is expected to launch an iPhone 7S and 7S Plus in 2017, along with the big new handset, which is said to either be called the iPhone 8, iPhone Edition, or iPhone X.
Related: What will the new iPhone be called?
The analyst also says the company could ditch Touch ID altogether and rely solely on facial recognition tech – though he acknowledges this is highly unlikely.
Commenting on recent rumours of delays due to the rumoured 3D technology said to be included in the phone, Arcuri said he doesn’t believe this should, in reality, cause any delays.
Apple has been reported as working on 3D facial recognition tech that will allow for more biometric features in the upcoming iPhone.
At this point, nothing has been confirmed, with Cupertino remaining characteristically tight-lipped on the matter, so take all the rumours and analyst predictions with a pinch of salt for now.
Sоurсе: trustedreviews.com
