According to sources, Apple, who is set to possibly announce three new iPhones later this year, continue to run into problems regarding the new devices. According to Fortune, one of the biggest problems that Apple is facing is connected to the rumored in-screen fingerprint sensor. A KeyBank Capital Markets analyst has reported that the new fingerprint sensor simply is not working. The analyst also estimates that Apple’s suppliers’ attempts at remedying the technical issue may delay the devices’ release by up to four weeks. It is unknown whether this delay will affect the announcement of the phone or just the formal release of the device.
A different source, an analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, reports that Apple is having problems with more than just the fingerprint sensor. This source theorizes that this secondary issue lies in the 3-D face-scanning technology that is rumored to be associated with the devices. Like with the fingerprint sensor, this issue too seems to lie in the actual hardware in the devices rather than Apple’s software, as rumors purport that particular suppliers are scrambling to fix the problem before the devices are set to launch.
These issues seem to be completely separate from Fortune’s prior report that states Apple is currently competing with video game hardware and software manufacturer Nintendo for memory chips and displays. The nature of this competition is essentially due to the fact that iOS devices and the Nintendo Switch both use very similar memory chips and liquid-crystal displays. Many analysts blame this competition the lower amounts of both iPhones and Switches being produced.
With all of this said, regardless of the previously mentioned issues, there is almost no doubt that Apple’s new phones will announce prior to the end of 2017. Once the phones are released, the technology included in the devices will allow for the validity of the above-mentioned rumors to be evaluated. In short, no one really knows for certain what these phones will include, as only possible mock-ups and sample cases have been released so far.
Dil Bole Oberoi
