According to DigitTimes, shipments of the iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4s) have been delayed due to an issue with the devices touch panels. Wintek, one of the three companies responsible for providing Apple with touch panels, discovered a “delayed bubble” defect which affects the iPhone touch panels during later stages of their assembly.
This touch panel issue may result in low iPhone 5 availability during the first few months of its release.
From DigiTimes:
The defect, “delayed bubble”, is difficult to avoid during panel production, particularly when the defect is not detected during the process of laminating touch panels, and only later found during assembly, the sources said. Since the manufacturing process of touch panels used in iPhone 5 is of the same as that for iPhone 4, Wintek is expected to remedy the defect quickly, the sources indicated.
However, all is not lost. Winteck is one of three companies that provide Apple with said touch panels. Their production accounts for approximately 20% to 25% of the entire touch panel quota. TPK Holding and Chimei Innolux account for the remaining 75% or so of display panels.
It is expected that Apple will announce the next generation of iPhone in early October with a possible release date in mid October. Adding further fuel to the mid-October release date is former US Vice-President, environmentalist, and current Apple Board member Al Gore, who claimed that “the new iPhones would be out next month” at a recent conference.
Meanwhile, analyst Scott Sutherland still expects Apple to introduce two iPhones in October with one targeting emerging markets.
All should hopefully be revealed in early October. Excited much?
