Apple Inc. wants to give its fan base an iPhone 8, but it may not be able to do so until early 2018. Lovers of the company and its premium handsets are still in for a real treat though. Online rumor mongers have been working overtime lately, more so as we edge closer to September. Yet word was that the annual month of the iPhone upgrade will feature a special edition smartphone. Depending on who fans choose to believe, it will bear the title “iPhone 8” or “iPhone X”.
Talks of this nature died down somewhat as news of a possible delay takes center stage. If the rumor mill is anything to rely on (and it’s never too far off the mark) only the two conventional upgrades will come along in 2017. This means iPhone lovers might not have three iPhones to choose from this year.
As it is every year, Apple suppliers often fail to keep things as tight as the company would like. That means more leaks for fans to ogle over and more excitement too. The latest piece iPhone 8 confirmation comes in the form of a screen protector. Depicted here, it features a black frame. White is “not possible” according to this source, adding weight to talks of limited color variations.
Why next year, you ask? Well, analysts suppose the answer is in the name. If the company aims to stick to its established name convention, then 2017 should see the release of the the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus. Adding a bonus iPhone is not beyond the realm of possibility either, but calling this device the iPhone 8 throws a spanner in the works of the titling.
What would that leave next year’s iPhones, a jump to iPhone 9? This seems highly unlikely. The argument that Apple will call its incoming special edition the iPhone X gains weight at this point. The roman numeral works in nicely with the gadget’s significance too: celebrating ten years of iPhone production.
Those who doubt that Apple will release the iPhone 8 early next year ought to consider that Apple has been launching iPhones in spring for the last three years. These are usually mild variations of existing iPhones though. This year saw the arrival iPhone Red while 2016 featured the iPhone SE in March. The latter is a special edition iPhone too. It has almost all of the features of the iPhone 6S crammed into the body of an iPhone 5.
Bearing this, the iPhone 8 is likely to come along in the earlier parts of 2018. Note that the title iPhone 8 is only really due for next year anyway. Throw in talks about supply constraints and limited OLED screens and the rumors about a delay become more than plausible.
Leaked screen protector confirms the iPhone 8
Back to the leaked screen protector, it confirms so many of the iPhone 8 rumors. Its availability in limited colors is backed by the likes of Macotakara, which highlights the outer frame. The protector has no hole on the lower part of it as well.
This feeds the discussions that 3D Touch technology will take the place of the Home button. Touch ID might be a thing of the past too. Information channels insist that an iris scanner will take its place. The additional holes at the top of the screen protector also suggest that there is some truth here.
KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo has long predicted the integration of facial recognition into the iPhone 8. The additional sensors that the screen protector accommodates add weight to his assertions.
Delays galore
The reports that back an iPhone 8 delay are in no shortage. Experts across the board chime in saying the iPhone 8 will either not come out this year or come out closer to Christmas. One of these experts is Amit Daryarni. An analyst at Royal Bank, he shared his take on the widely rumored device and the factors working against its launch this September.
Daryarni considers data from Apple Inc suppliers. He points out OLED supply constraints and sees low chances of the special edition iPhone coming out this September. Instead the gadget is likely to be released in the Christmas quarter or early next year.
Royal Bank adjusted its projections accordingly. It shifted its sales estimates down by 5.5 million units in the current quarter. Those shipments now feature on the company’s estimates for the following quarter. The delay will be frustrating, no doubt, but Royal bank believes the hunger for the iPhone 8 will not die down significantly.
The Apple Inc iPhone 8 rumors are plenty
Understandably, there are so many iPhone 8 rumors, it’s hard to choose what to believe. The hopefuls still have publication like the Indian Express to rely on. This week saw the news outlet report an ongoing trial production of all three iPhones speculated for this year.
“iPhone 8 is not delayed,” writes the publication’s Tech Desk, “and Foxconn is testing about 200 units of the upcoming phone per day.”
The most reliable rumor though, is that Apple rely has to let go of LCD screens in order to stand out among its rivals. Apple Inc has shied away from OLED long enough. The company now risks falling behind the premium smartphone market while popular rivals make headway with the technology. In the face of reduced iPhone sales and a desperate need to bump them up again, analysts are certain that Tim Cook and his firm would be shooting themselves in the foot if they do not take up the screens this time around.
A word from the experts
“We don’t know whether Apple’s OLED iPhones will be a hit,” Tai Jeng-wu reports. He is currently the president at Sharp and believes “if Apple doesn’t walk down this path and transform itself, there will be no innovation. It is a crisis but it is also an opportunity.”
The U.S. technology giant has no where else to push LCD. It is old generation tech that features on a revered product, but even iPhone fans won’t be so faithful if Apple Inc continues to hold onto to LCD while rivals make use of more exciting displays.
“Apple really needs to put OLED displays into their next model iPhones in order to stay at the leading edge of smartphone innovation,” says Raymond Soneira. The man is a top analyst at DisplayMate Technologies. “Apple has taken the iPhone LCD display as far as it can go.”
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