Technology

iPhone 8 and 7s Production on Track for Fall Release

Chris Lange

Published: May 8, 2017 10:36 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 12:14 pm

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reportedly will begin selling its newest iPhone models, the 8 and 7s in October. Leading up to this, the company will unveil these models in September and it doesn’t expect any delays at this point.

iPhone suppliers like Foxconn and Pegatron have already begun recruiting and training workers in China who will be producing these new smartphones en masse. Despite all this preparation, there are some analysts and reports that believe there still could be some delays.

Previously, Bloomberg reported in April that the iPhone could be delayed one or two months as the result of manufacturing issues. Separately, Barclays has made similar claims that production will be delayed as well.

KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, suspects that the iPhone will launch in September but will face supply shortages as a result. Although he believes that this delay won’t undermine the actual demand as long as the iPhone 8 lives up to the hype. He detailed in a recent report:

Production ramp up of OLED iPhone could be delayed to October-November (previously estimated to be August-September, as in previous years). That said, if new features, such as 3D sensing, can provide good user experience, a temporary supply shortfall won’t undermine actual demand, which may be deferred to 1H18. In that case, potential contribution starting late-2Q17 from OLED iPhone could be partially delayed by 3-6 months for related suppliers.

Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac projects what we should expect when these new smart phones come out:

Apple is widely expected to be launching three new iPhone models for 2017. Although final marketing names are unknown, the company is readying two ‘iPhone 7s’ phones featuring the same chassis design as the current generation with a focus on internal upgrades; better performance, better battery life and wireless charging.

Shares of Apple closed Friday up 1.7% at $148.95, with a consensus analyst price target of $151.44 and a 52-week trading range of $89.47 to $148.98.