The Earth is not falling. If anything it would change orbit. Don't spread rumors.
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The big question is if the Apple Upgrade Customers will get first dibs.
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Apple Leasing Equipment to Suppliers to Make Sure Key iPhone 8 Components Get Made
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The Earth is not falling. If anything it would change orbit. Don't spread rumors.
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The big question is if the Apple Upgrade Customers will get first dibs.
So basically, "rigid flexible" is not the same as "Rigid Flex". MacRumors and other publications should have done their due diligence and offered up both corrected wording, and a link to more information about what "it" was. Instead, the term from original article was used directly resulting in all of these comments about the incorrect term used.
Here's another page that uses the words "Rigid" and "Flexible" together, but you'll notice they hyphen them for clarity:
http://ats.net/products-technology/...ible-rigid-flexible-pcbs/rigid-flexible-pcbs/
Basically, it's two things combined together, not one thing, as this article originally made it sound like, hence the confusion.
Based on what exactly?
So let's assume it's the end of September and the (MYTHICAL, let's recall) iPhone 8 is not ready. What happens?
Scenario a --- Apple announces "Sorry guys, we were supposed to have this magic phone ready, but it doesn't work. Sorry, you can all go home." OR
Scenario b --- Apple announces "Check out the iPhone 7S. It has an A11 CPU that's 40% faster than the A10. It has an Apple -designed GPU that is 2x as fast as the A10 AND that is optimized for machine learning and neural nets. Check out the camera that can record depth information, and these fancy effects that it enables. Check out everything new in iOS11. Oh, and just for fun, we've add two new colors, jade and turquoise."
Which of these do you imagine will occur?
There's a REASON Apple keeps secret stretch projects secret. The iPhone 8 will launch when it launches, when it is ready. And that may be Sept 2017 or it may be March 2018 or it may be Sept 2018. Who knows? It may be called the iPhone 8 or the iPhone Pro or the iPhone Air. Who knows?
But Apple is not going to suffer when it doesn't launch a product that it hasn't even announced. Sure the usual internet grumbling will occur for a week, then we'll all realize the iPhone 7S is pretty damn kickass, that it's still actually 2x as good as any competitor phone, and life will return to normal.
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It's also what APPLE has done for years. When they first went all-in with extruded aluminum cases, they bought up most of the milling machines in the world and leased them to Foxconn.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/06/07/apple-expenditures/2400059/
Apple Semi . . . .
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PS - back onto the subject of the thread, I think it's great that Apple are taking action on this area of potential delay.
They need to put out these fires when they can as, if the rumours are to be believed, there are several other aspects that could cause launch postponements.
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Apple recently purchased expensive production equipment to produce the rigid flexible printed circuit board for the iPhone 8, reports The Korea Herald. Apple doesn't plan to use the equipment itself, but is instead leasing it to suppliers to ensure it can get the components it needs for the iPhone 8 amid rumors of production difficulties.
The equipment cost Apple "tens of millions of dollars" and will be used to create the aforementioned circuit boards, which are a key component that connect parts like the iPhone's display and camera. A rigid flexible printed circuit board (or RFPCB), which combines both flexible and rigid technologies in a single board to conserve space, is reportedly more difficult to produce than standard rigid or flexible PCBs.
Apple made the purchase after one of three suppliers it planned to source parts from backed out of the deal. Interflex and Youngpoong Electronics, two Korean companies, are said to be producing the components going forward.With one supplier pulling out of the deal, Apple decided to make sure the remaining suppliers can meet capacity. "To fill the loss, Apple is supporting the other two suppliers, both Korean, to beef up production," said The Korea Herald's source.
Rumors have suggested Apple is struggling to produce several of the new iPhone's components, including the 3D sensor and the display lamination process, which many analysts believe is going to lead to some delay in production ramp up.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often accurately predicts Apple's plans, believes production ramp up could be delayed by a month or two, which means the iPhone 8 could be available in limited quantities with Apple unable to meet demand until late in 2017 or early in 2018.
Article Link: Apple Leasing Equipment to Suppliers to Make Sure Key iPhone 8 Components Get Made
To Quote the last sentence.
Apple won't be Able to meet demand until 2018, besides all the known problems
Heck at this point how short Lived will the IPhone 8 be with a likely 6.2" OLED IPhone 8s Plus launching in late 2018 with all the problems fixed from the rushed troubled 8
It is something that is NSFW.
Back on topic, it really feels like the sapphire crystal incident again.
Last years situation should answer that. My best guess is no.The Earth is not falling. If anything it would change orbit. Don't spread rumors.
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The big question is if the Apple Upgrade Customers will get first dibs.
I still wait in front of stores overnight to get an iPhone. My dog and I wait in a lawn chair.
All I see is a rigid circuit board connected by a flexible ribbon.
The circuit board is still not flexible.
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The emperors new clothes comes to mind, just because a company calls a rigid circuit board joined with flexible ribbons, does still not make the circuit board itself flexible. We should not propagate this term.
It has nothing to do with a curved device or exterior hardware. It's strictly referring to internal components using the circuitboard with a flexible section. Which is a PCB that uses both flexible/rigid for more efficient Internal space.
Scenario b will lead to scenario c --- After poor launch sales of the 7S and internet/media/public grumbling for weeks/months, Apple decides to release the iPhone 8, the first true redesign in over three years, in March/April 2018, alongside a new replacement for the SE.
I would like to hear more about how exactly you think Apple could accomplish this.
It's hard to believe a company producing a product that has to be made uniformly in vast numbers is still "ironing out problems" a couple of months before production. Shouldn't they be working now on something that will be released in 2+ years' time? And these problems mainly solved at least a year ago.
I think what "rigid flexible" might refer to is not the two rigid PCBs connected by a flexible ribbon shown above, but rather a technology where rigid circuit components are mounted on a flexible substrate instead of the usual rigid substrate?
Only 7 or 8 weeks until the keynote and i guess we will know for sure then about the iPhone 8. If they don't announce it then its because its delayed
If Apple were alone in the smartphone market, like they are with Macs, then yes they could move glacially.
But they're under pressure from other very agile phone makers who are constantly trying out new tweaks. In such a feature rich and fast paced environment, nearly everything will be last minute.
Not to mention Cook's clear desire to prove that Apple can still innovate.
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there are flexible circuit boards.. and rigid circuit boards.. and boards in which the two types are combined into one..
it's not simply a ribbon of wires that's considered flexible in this technology.
also, it's not Apple calling it this.. and it's not new for iPhone 8.. these types of boards are already in your phones (and other electronics)
The picture someone showed was a rigid circuit board combined with ribbon cable.
If they had shown a flexible circuit board with components soldered on to the flexible board then fine, but they didn't.
I didn't say Apple called it this.
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That is fine and correct...but I was responding to someone posting a picture of a rigid circuit board and add to that the image in the article was of a rigid board.