Apple’s Supply Chain Reportedly Delays New iPhones 1-2 Weeks, Possible September 9 Launch Date

Apple has reportedly delayed production of the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, two of its new flagship smartphones that are expected to make their debut during a still-unannounced Apple press conference in September, by 1-2 weeks.

Production is expected to begin later this month.

The news comes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who usually has his ear to the ground on Apple’s supply chain movements.

UDN, a Chinese news outlet that cited Kuo’s recent report, didn’t provide a reason for the delay.

It’s possible Apple is making sure its suppliers are better prepared for quality control, an issue that has thwarted iPhone production in the past, or that it’s waiting for additional parts that haven’t yet arrived. The new iPhones are expected to introduce new features, such as a Force Touch display.

The report suggests that the production delay won’t delay the announcement of Apple’s iPhones, nor its launch, and rather that Apple’s suppliers are just getting off to a later start than originally expected.

Apple’s annual fall iPhone event will likely be held on Wednesday, September 9, reports BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski, who has provided reliable information on event dates in the past.

According to sources that spoke to BuzzFeed, the event will be held during the week of September 7, with September 9 targeted as the most likely date.

The event’s focus will be on the next-generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, both of which will feature a Force Touch display, an A9 processor, an improved camera system, and a faster LTE chip, among other features.

Apple may also unveil new iPads at the event, but the 12.9-inch iPad Pro “seems to be a wildcard,” says Paczkowski, meaning it could come at the event or at a later date.

If There’s a Delay, Don’t Expect It to Be Too Long
If Apple does, in fact, delay the launch of its next-generation iPhone, then I wouldn’t expect too long of a delay.

Apple’s last several iPhone launches have been in September, but in the past, Apple has launched iPhones in June and October.

Waiting until June 2016 to launch a new iPhone would probably be a bad move, but waiting for October 2015 could actually be beneficial.

In particular, Apple is expected to build its next-generation A-series processor, widely referred to as the A9, on a 14/16-nanometer FinFET manufacturing technology from Samsung and/or TSMC supply chains.

According to chip equipment vendor Ultratech on its earnings call earlier this month, the semiconductor industry continues to “grapple with issues for FinFETs to achieve acceptable yields.”

If Apple pushes out the next iPhone launch a bit, this could buy its foundry partners a little bit more time to improve A9 yields in order to bring the company’s A9 costs down.

Source: The Motley Fool