Apple is rumored to launch a 10th anniversary iPhone edition dubbed as the iPhone 8.It is expected to come with some lucrative new features and a premium price tag. However, various reports have suggested that the iPhone 8 could face delay issues due to various technical challenges including a new augmented reality 3D camera system, a new thin-film 3D touch system, and the lamination process for the curved OLED display panels.
Now an analyst Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company claims that the biggest challenge that Apple is facing with the development of its upcoming iPhone 8 is its in-screen Touch ID sensor
Arcuri, in his note to investors, notes that Apple is not getting sufficient yield for iPhone 8’s Touch ID. He further adds that the company may even make last-minute changes to the design of the handset if its in-screen touch ID sensor could not be produced in volume to make iPhon e8 ready for the fall launch. However, in my opinion, a last minute design change seems highly unlikely.
“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 Apple seems unwilling to use other vendors’ products,” reads the research note.
It’s widely reported and rumored that Apple wants an iPhone with a front completely covered with the display, which would require fingerprint reader and other sensors to sit behind the display in order to achieve a bezel-free front.
Accuri also suggests that Apple may ditch the Touch ID altogether and solely rely on facial recognition, which seems highly unlikely as well. However, Apple has an option to move the Touch ID towards that back of the devices just like Samsung did with its Galaxy S8 series. And again, Apple fans won’t be happy with such move.
Instead, Apple will pre-announce iPhone 8 alongside the iterative iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus later this year and will delay the availability of the OLED iPhone 8.
Source: AppleInsider