Reuters reports that iPhone 6 production was delayed after Apple was forced to abandon its plans to use a thinner backlight in the new device. In its quest for a thinner device, the company was attempting to use one brightness element in the place of two.
Two supply chain sources said display panel production suffered a setback after the backlight that helps illuminate the screen had to be revised, putting screen assembly on hold for part of June and July. One said Apple, aiming for the thinnest phone possible, initially wanted to cut back to a single layer of backlight film, instead of the standard two layers, for the 4.7-inch screen, which went into mass production ahead of the 5.5-inch version.
The new configuration was judged to be not bright enough, and the backlight was redesigned to fit the extra layer in. Reuter source says this cost the company precious time, idling some of their screen assembly operations during the redesign.
Production is reported to be back on track, with suppliers working at full capacity to make up for the lost time.
Introduction of the iPhone 6 is expected on September 9th.
