Ming-Chi Kuo Agrees iPhone 8 Will Launch in September With 'Severe' Shortages Due to Delayed Production

[Chupa Chupa]

Because nobody had to wait in line for the first iPhone....

People had to wait in line but there was no shortage. Big difference.

I can 100% say this for sure because I was in line then. At the mall I was at there was a huge snake of line at the Apple Store and a much shorter line at the ATT store. I decided to go for the ATT store. I was like 8th in line and was lucky because that is exactly how many 8GB iPhones they received. Buy the time I bought my phone the line at Apple had completely dissipated. I was curious so I went in to see if they sold out. Nope. They had plenty of 8GB phones. Turned out Apple didn't sell out of initial stock until the tail end of the weekend end. And after then stock was never more than a day or two away -- not weeks.

 

[pat500000]

Samsung doesnt seem to have supply problem.....

 

[itsboi]

Well I wouldn't be surprised considering the Jet Black and Airpods delays. It's ridiculous.
But if this is to perfect the Touch ID display, then I'd rather wait than have a phone with Touch ID on the back. Terrible usability.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

And then SJ announced the white iPhone 4......

Fair enough. But that was one product he announced, not just about every product. Also no supply problem with the 4. Other problems, but not supply. It was ready to ship out the gate and pre-orders for launch day were open for many days, not the hours it is now.

But I'm really talking about the frequency and number of products being announced that are not ready to ship in any quantity in a timely manner. It seems like its almost the norm these days.

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Because manufacturing, testing, and delivering phones to customers at the rate of 700K to 850K iPhone units per day (along with vendors being able to source their components at that rate) during the introduction period, manufacturing capacity available is still finite (it can't be instantaneously doubled, for example) - especially considering the enormous demand projected for the "anniversary" phone.

The other alternative is to wait 4-6 months before announcement to accumulate inventory (no smart company would ever do that), endure all of the tiny moans and whines from upset customers, all the blather about TC being a failed CEO, all of the Apple is doomed buh-blah, and then let many of those potential customers purchase an S8.

It's a very competitive world. Apple is handling this perfectly, as evidenced by their iPhone sales. Year after year. Especially while TC has been CEO.

It's call ramp up. Every manufacture does it. It doesn't mean that everyone that wants a phone will get a phone on launch day, but it means they won't have to wait weeks to get one after they pre-ordered 5 minutes after pre-ordering started. In the case of the AW it was months. I ordered mine literally at 3:04am eastern and didn't get mine until late June.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

People had to wait in line but there was no shortage. Big difference.

I can 100% say this for sure because I was in line then. At the mall I was at there was a huge snake of line at the Apple Store and a much shorter line at the ATT store. I decided to go for the ATT store. I was like 8th in line and was lucky because that is exactly how many 8GB iPhones they received. Buy the time I bought my phone the line at Apple had completely dissipated. I was curious so I went in to see if they sold out. Nope. They had plenty of 8GB phones. Turned out Apple didn't sell out of initial stock until the tail end of the weekend end. And after then stock was never more than a day or two away -- not weeks.

Then you weren't paying attention globally. It took a very long time before demand was fulfilled and many places were able to get the first iPhone. That is why in many countries the grey imports were going for more than $1,200.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Then you weren't paying attention globally. It took a very long time before demand was fulfilled and many places were able to get the first iPhone. That is why in many countries the grey imports were going for more than $1,200.

No I was very much paying attention. The demand after launch was so great that... Apple had to cut the price about one month after launch. I got a nice refund check from AMEX which was really great.

The grey market price was high because it only launched in the US.

 

[zombierunner]

5 more months of this ...

 

[ryanwarsaw]

No I was very much paying attention. The demand after launch was so great that... Apple had to cut the price about one month after launch. I got a nice refund check from AMEX which was really great.

The grey market price was high because it only launched in the US.

Because launching in one country only didn't constrain supply and force high demand? Anyway we can go in circles but it always launches in certain places first and the days of you seeing a rebate of any kind are long gone. So your previous points about what a dim wit Tim Cook is seem to be unfounded.

 

[Jsameds]

Samsung doesnt seem to have supply problem.....

Because they don't sell nearly as many flagship devices. They do sell more phones overall, but that total is divided among many different devices, reducing strain on supply.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/03/22/iphone-most-popular-smartphone-2016/

It also helps when you manufacture a lot of your components in house.

 

[Shirasaki]

Either way I think I'll skip this one. First - I'm pretty satisfied with my iPhone 7 Plus, but second - I don't want 1st generation issues (we can all recall plenty of problems with almost every single completely new Apple product).

Or they will integrate those new techs in subsequent generations, but cut off improving this model, much like Apple Watch edition.
Just an uneducated guess.

 

[BigMcGuire]

After spending way too much time trying to get my hands on a 4s (found one at a hole in the wall Radio Shack) I decided that I wouldn't rush to get the latest iPhone ever again. My wife and I got our 6s+ phones last year about this time. So relaxing making an appointment, walking in and walking out without problems or a line.

Not sure what all the craziness is about... Try to get a Pixel XL... 6 MONTHS LATER... http://www.androidcentral.com/edito...tm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

With the cost of these phones, the wife and I are seriously thinking about keeping our 6s+ phones another year+ at LEAST.

Yawn. I always buy last year's model anyway.
Cheaper
Available
Bugs worked out
Mature OS

Trying to get your hands on a new iPhone within 6 months after launch day is for the birds (or masochists).

I must be getting old (31) but I really see the wisdom in this. My little brother just bought a 128GB 6s+ refurbished from Apple and saved hundreds. Pretty cool imo.

 

[cdmoore74]

They should kill off those LCD models with fire. Time to dump ancient technology.These huge bezelled LCD iPhones will be the dinosaurs of 2017

This is why I don't get 7S launching alongside with 8 (or whatever they call it). Samsung and even LG took it to another level this year so it's time for Apple to get going. I think it's idiotic to launch 2 designs so close to one another.
How would it look if Samsung launches a flat S7 along with 2 S8 models?

 

[NT1440]

This is why I don't get 7S launching alongside with 8 (or whatever they call it). Samsung and even LG took it to another level this year so it's time for Apple to get going. I think it's idiotic to launch 2 designs so close to one another.
How would it look if Samsung launches a flat S7 along with 2 S8 models?

It would look like they're offering different tiers of models for different target audiences....that's not weird.

 

[Dave245]

Samsung and even LG took it to another level this year so it's time for Apple to get going.

I would hardly say another level, yes they released a nice design but it's not without it's issues (fingerprint reader next to the camera, and a red tint on the screen.) they did good with the design but it still uses TouchWiz and it's nothing that Apple can't beat when they come out with the iPhone 8 and even the 7S later this year.

 

[Sedulous]

Not sure I will like no home button. It is sort of like moving keys around on a keyboard. Home button was easy to find, reliable, helped orient the phone. But hey, people think bigger display is better, then that is what manufacturers will make. Power is going to be a problem too. Bigger screen, same size battery. I miss when iPhones were still phone-sized and not phablets.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

We're still a couple months out from when production has always begun. Pretty hard to call in advance for production delays.

 

[macfacts]

It doesn't matter that they control when to announce the products, because demand is always going to outstrip supply for a new iPhone during launch. It doesn't make sense for them to have a production capacity of 100 million iPhones just for the launch quarter when they only move 50 to 60 million in the succeeding quarters.

They dont need to be able to make 100 million a month, they just need to start making them earlier and pay for a warehouse for storage. Storage ovdrseas is super cheap

 

[TallManNY]

People had to wait in line but there was no shortage. Big difference.

I can 100% say this for sure because I was in line then. At the mall I was at there was a huge snake of line at the Apple Store and a much shorter line at the ATT store. I decided to go for the ATT store. I was like 8th in line and was lucky because that is exactly how many 8GB iPhones they received. Buy the time I bought my phone the line at Apple had completely dissipated. I was curious so I went in to see if they sold out. Nope. They had plenty of 8GB phones. Turned out Apple didn't sell out of initial stock until the tail end of the weekend end. And after then stock was never more than a day or two away -- not weeks.

Right, but price was much higher for first iPhone because you had to pay full price and you still had to get a carrier contract that was the same price as if you had gotten a subsidized phone. And frankly folks didn't really understand how good the first iPhone was.

 

[ChrisCW11]

If Apple can't figure out how to roll out a new phone after their last 2 phones releases were so lacking in innovation, with explicit excuses from Phil Schiller and Tim Cook that they were preparing something special for the 10th anniversary, then it proves Apple doesn't know how to handle it's **** anymore. I mean this is almost as bad as the Republicans screaming about repeal and replace of Obamacare for years and then offering that ridiculous turd of legislation to replace it.

Mostly I think this is all more vapid speculation, but if true the worst thing Apple could do is release this phone prematurely and dangle it like a carrot they keep pulling away from consumers wanting to buy it around Christmas. I think if this happens a lot of people will move to Android and many will finally get tired of Apple vacillating about innovation but never delivering it.

 

[TallManNY]

They dont need to be able to make 100 million a month, they just need to start making them earlier and pay for a warehouse for storage. Storage ovdrseas is super cheap

They can't make them earlier because they need to the design finished and tested before they can go into production and the need to the OS finished so it can be installed before the phone is packaged. The earlier they start making them the less new stuff they can put into them.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

Paraphrasing 9to5mac: The two Rules of "Being Apple" by Apple (Apple iaw. SJ)

RULE NO. 1: avoid ‘bleeding edge’ technology: launch only when satisfied that the technology is stable and there is an optimal way to render it in volume and employ it.

RULE NO. 2: measure twice and cut once: think through everything and plan accordingly -- announce products only when real, not just keynote presentations.​

Under the "supply-chain guru" the "Being Apple" rules appear to have been thrown to the wind.

 

[NT1440]

Paraphrasing 9t05mac: The two Rules of "Being Apple" by Apple (Apple iaw. SJ)

RULE NO. 1: avoid ‘bleeding edge’ technology: launch only when satisfied that the technology is stable and there is an optimal way to render it in volume and employ it.

RULE NO. 2: measure twice and cut once: think through everything and plan according -- announce products only when real, not just keynote presentations.​

Under the "supply-chain guru" those rules appear to have been thrown to the wind.

....You're saying he is violating the "rule" by the media putting out reports every other day contradicting other reports?

That doesn't make sense, Apple hasn't announced jack ****.

 

[arggg14]

I'm done buying phones every 1-2 years. Like the PC, the technology has peaked and we're only getting major innovation every 3-5 years. At least that's what I'm seeing.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

They dont need to be able to make 100 million a month, they just need to start making them earlier and pay for a warehouse for storage. Storage ovdrseas is super cheap

They need to sell out the day they begin production not hire some warehouses. I do not think they have many units laying around to make artificial demand. Every unit will be sold the instant it is finished and shipped ASAP.

 

[scrapesleon]

as long as the online store got as soon as the keynote over I'm good