Persistent Software Problems With iPhone 8 Wireless Charging and 3D Sensor Causing 'Panic' at Apple

[seb101]

If they ditch TouchID in favor of 3D facial recognition, it is really going to ruin the user experience of Apple Pay. One of the greatest parts of the current system is that it can be done without even looking at the device. When I pay, my hand goes into my pocket, thumb straight onto the sensor, quick double tap, by the time the device is out my pocket and on the reader, it's ready to pay. Takes about 2 seconds end to end.

If I am now going to have to pull it out my pocket, raise it to eye level then pause to hold my phone awkwardly in front of may face for a couple of seconds before then finally being able to tap the device onto the reader, then I am not going to use it. There are easier systems out there, like the wearable NFC payment bands a lot of banks and card providers now offer.

The beauty of Apple Pay was the ease of use - it gives no other benefits, if I already have my wallet in my hand, then I use my regular card, it's not like Apple Pay gives my any additional perks. If the UX is less fluid, it will put people off, and if Apple Pay is a revenue stream for Apple (which I believe it is with their % cut of payments) this should worry them.

 

[aylk]

This phone is not coming out this year.

 

[Abazigal]

I did? Interesting. Since when does Samsung grossly overcharge their customers for incomplete/beta-released-disguised-as-GM software?

Bixby?

 

[ChromeCloud]

Wonder how much is attempted stock manipulation. We seem the same each year - stories about problems each year. Surely some of these could dip the stock or at least keep it down pre device launch. Or just noise attempting to show analysts know better and investors should follow them?

I was thinking the same.
As Apple market capitalization grows bigger and bigger, it only makes sense that big investors are going to try and manipulate the stock price by circulating fake rumors.

 

[ph001bi]

As the prospective September launch date of the iPhone 8 fast approaches, designers and engineers at Apple are said to be working "feverishly" to fix software problems in the device that could lead to production delays, reports Fast Company.

Citing a source "knowledge of the situation," the site says there's a "sense of panic" in the air because should the problems not be resolved, the device might ship without major features enabled.

One feature that might be delayed is wireless charging. Apple is said to be planning to implement inductive wireless charging in the iPhone 8, but rumors suggest it will be enabled through a standalone charger purchased separately. As previously shared by Apple blogger John Gruber, Apple may not ship the inductive wireless charging accessory until later in the year alongside an iOS 11.1 update.

iPhone 8 renders from iDrop News​

While Gruber didn't offer an explanation, Fast Company says software issues, not components, are the problem. If the software isn't ready, wireless charging could be unavailable when the phone first begins shipping.

Apple is also said to be struggling with the 3D sensor expected to be built into the front-facing camera, which is rumored to enable a facial scanning system that could replace Touch ID.On the subject of Touch ID, Fast Company's source believes Apple could still be working to add it under the display. Yesterday, a report from KeyBanc Capital Markets suggested Apple was continuing to struggle to put the fingerprint sensor under the glass of the device, and that the company had "just a couple of weeks" to solve the problem.

Though this sounds unlikely because new device designs are often finalized months ahead of production, Fast Company's source calls the report "plausible" and says "in all likelihood, the fingerprint sensor will be embedded under the display." The source also says iPhone features "can remain fluid until deep in the summer" ahead of an iPhone launch.

With multiple reputable sources (Bloomberg and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo) reporting Apple has adopted a superior facial recognition system to replace Touch ID, it's not clear how accurate Fast Company's information is, but given the number of conflicting rumors we've heard over the course of the iPhone 8's development, it's still difficult to predict exactly what we're going to see when the device debuts in September.

We've previously heard of problems with the display, the 3D sensor, and Touch ID, all of which have led to multiple rumors pointing towards serious supply issues. The iPhone 8, which will be sold alongside an "iPhone 7s" and an "iPhone 7s Plus," may not be widely available until late in 2017 or early in 2018 due to a later production ramp-up schedule, according to the latest rumor.

Article Link: Persistent Software Problems With iPhone 8 Wireless Charging and 3D Sensor Causing 'Panic' at Apple

Xiaomi had a underscreen fingerprint sensor almost a year ago (Mi 5s), Qi charging has been available for 5 years or so, Google project Tango does 3d sensing camera for half the price of an iPhone 7 (Lenovo Phab2 Pro)but somehow Apple cannot get any of it to work 8 weeks before the launch?
I call b......t on that rumour.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

If I am now going to have to pull it out my pocket, raise it to eye level then pause to hold my phone awkwardly in front of may face for a couple of second.....

Not at all, it's 3D facial recognition. If it works as claimed just glancing down at it, as long as you're in the sensor range should be enough for it to work as it has a 3D mapped image of you're face. In theory it should even work if it can see the side of your face.

However, who knows if Apple can actually make this work because if not it's no better than standard facial recognition.

 

[Zirel]

Tim out, me in = Apple circa 2010

Shameful. Absolutely shameful.

Why though? As an Apple fan I feel Apple losing its cool could be its downfall if they release a product that isn't ready.

Bring Scott back

With all the problems/missing tech this phone is reportedly having, I'm gonna wait until the iPhone 8S in 2018 so I get an iPhone that is full-featured and "just works."

It would seem the iTunes team has been working on the phone.

iOS 11 beta's are really rough, this article makes a lot of sense man.

And in true Apple fashion they'll have the chutzpah to charge a premium price for shipping what amounts to a beta product full of bugs and missing/incomplete features

can't get a feature that's been out for a decade to work?

nice

The iPhone 8 is starting to sound more and more like it will be a disappointment.

Apple needs to stop trying so hard. Steve is gone so they won't repeat that magic again. Just ship the phone with bezel, slap on the Touch ID 2, a better camera (front and back), and the usual speed improvements and some fresh new colors. People will buy it.

Lots of people are REALLY desperate for Apple to lose...

To the point of holding on clickbait 100% manufactured ********.

 

[prowlmedia]

I did? Interesting. Since when does Samsung grossly overcharge their customers for incomplete/beta-released-disguised-as-GM software?

Pretty much every initial 'S' or note release bloatware is ill conceived and doesn't work... and then they just completely rebuild it for the next version with zero consistency.
Bixby - Kinda big one right there.
Samsung Pay works about 70% of the time so I suppose that's a win right?
Samsung Gallery - Shocking
Samsung notes - won't sync anywhere. Completely local. Greaaaaat.
All the Samsung utility apps - Internet, Email, Phone, Messages, Contacts, Calendar, Clock - Hard to sync from anything non Samsung.
Note Battery management.. BOOM.

 

[Zirel]

Xiaomi had a underscreen fingerprint sensor almost a year ago (Mi 5s), Qi charging has been available for 5 years or so

Quit lying.

 

[prowlmedia]

1. It will have Touch ID. The Banks won't ratify a change in security like that quickly... and look how long it's taken for some banks to get up to speed.

2. I may ALSO have facial recognition to unlock etc but not initially for Paying.

3. Unless there is 2+ metre wireless charging, I can't see Apple being involved. There are Patents for Distance wireless charging - The pads are entirely pointless and have NO benefit over a cable at all.
[doublepost=1499853282][/doublepost]

Quit lying.

Might want to use goggle before embarrassing yourself there Zirel

https://www.slashgear.com/xiaomi-mi-5s-hides-qualcomm-ultrasonic-fingerprint-sensor-inside-27457821/
http://www.droid-life.com/2016/09/27/xiaomis-new-mi5s-glass-ultrasonic-fingerprint-sensor-cool/

 

[dnsp]

They are figuring out how to make it 100% proprietary so they can sell you that $300 magical wireless charging pad.

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

Exactly. These past few articles posted by Macrumors have been completely unbelievable about the "iPhone 8 being delayed", "Apple has only 8 weeks to figure it out", "Persistent Software problems with wireless charging & 3D facial recognition Causing panic at Apple" . . .

What if they are all true? . . . . it's possible . . . .
[doublepost=1499853648][/doublepost]

I miss the old days when we just had fun with the rumors.
Now people are bending out of shape, spewing their hate all over.

The forum is definitely a nastier place of late, although I know the Mods do take action on this.

I cringe when I read posts that start, "You really don't get it do you . . . ." you may as well add Dumbass to that opening - and some do (and worse).

There's nothing wrong with debate and disagreement, it's a forum that's it's purpose, but even strong debate can be exercised with civility.

 

[Zirel]

Might want to use goggle before embarrassing yourself there Zirel

https://www.slashgear.com/xiaomi-mi-5s-hides-qualcomm-ultrasonic-fingerprint-sensor-inside-27457821/
http://www.droid-life.com/2016/09/27/xiaomis-new-mi5s-glass-ultrasonic-fingerprint-sensor-cool/

No, it’s not on the screen. Those are advertisements.

 

[44267547]

What if they are all true? . . . . it's possible

Looks like you missed this part of my post when you quoted me, because if you read-read my post, I clearly stated.....

It makes it an interesting read and perhaps some validity could be related with these articles,

Which I believe some of these rumors are not believable to me, but it doesn't mean that ALL parts of these rumors are not accurate.

 

[576316]

DOA

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

Software issues? They have a couple months till the phone ships. Surely their software engineers on this project will be working damn near around the clock to get it resolved.

The trouble is not so much the software issues themselves, I suspect, as you are correct they should be easier to resolve with extra man hours.

The issue is the knock on hardware implications. I genuinely believe Apple still have 2 teams working on a Facial Recogntion phone (the current stated preference for Apple to the supply chain in terms of manufacturing likelihood) and an under screen TouchID model (their ideal launch phone all things being equal).

Normally well before this point they would've finalised the design.

If they can't resolve these rumoured Facial Recognition software issues quickly, then time is ticking and there are many decisions to make as a consequence.

 

[prowlmedia]

No, it’s not on the screen. Those are advertisements.

It's still under glass which is the point and Works using Ultrasonic. Qualcomm have had under screen tech for a while too.

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

Difference here, apple will do wireless in a proprietary manner, so you need to spend $100 on thier charger as it will not work with any other chargers on the market.

There's a decent chance you're correct with this, despite the welcome Qi rumours if the choice is for inductive.

In my opinion though, this is the biggest policy change Apple need to make for sustained success. People are becoming more savvy now in their purchase decisions due to the amount of information available.

Unless there is a significant benefit to the customer from Apple deliberately going their own way with a proprietary standard, they should stick to supporting and developing common solutions.
[doublepost=1499855041][/doublepost]

Better to release it later and fully working than to rush it for the September deadline.

For the customer, yes . . . . for the shareholders, sadly, no.

Until the public decide to stand up to this practice by not purchasing half baked products in droves.
[doublepost=1499855115][/doublepost]

The funny thing is... Apple knew this year was coming.

I don't know when exactly Apple decided to stretch the iPhone's normal two-year design cycle to three years.

But the point is... it seems like they've had plenty of time to get this stuff working. Extra time... compared to normal years.

Let's hope Apple was a little too ambitious with this new model... then maybe any slight delay will be understandable.

Good post, 100% agree.

 

[Tech198]

Sounds more like pandemonium than panic.

 

[69650]

Based on past experience they will ship iPhone 8 even if it has problems rather than wait for a finished product because they know people will flock to buy it regardless. They won't delay because Cook is more interested in Wall Street than Main Steet.

 

[mctrials23]

It's still under glass which is the point and Works using Ultrasonic. Qualcomm have had under screen tech for a while too.

No thats not even slightly the point. Apple want to put it under the screen like everyone else. That hasn't happened. You seem to be claiming that because someone has it under plain glass that apple should easily be able to stick it under the display because obviously the two are the same. How come no one has managed it yet if the tech has been around for years?

Facial recognition is the same. We have had facial recognition for god knows how many years. Decades at least. That doesn't mean that 3d facial detection is easy or that other companies half baked executions that can be bypassed using a picture mean that what apple is trying to do is easy.

 

[Zirel]

It's still under glass which is the point and Works using Ultrasonic. Qualcomm have had under screen tech for a while too.

The iPhone sensor also has been under glass since it launched in the 5s.

 

[TallManNY]

Who knows, this could actually be true, or partly true, and last-minute software development is a heck of a lot easier to believe than the report yesterday that Apple hadn't settled on hardware yet (which is patently ridiculous for a product shipping in a few months).

That said, it sounds an awful lot like someone wanted to write another "iPhone 8 doom" story, but realized that claiming the hardware wasn't ready yet was absurd, so just adjusted it to software not being ready yet.

Among other things, why would they be in "panic" mode about software that won't ship for at least two months? Unlike hardware, they can be tweaking software until a lot closer to release date, and Apple has been quite willing to release hardware that the software isn't quite ready for yet (like portrait mode), so while I would feel like I was under a heck of a lot of pressure to get the stuff ready in time if I were on that software team, it wouldn't be a "ruin the company moment" if it ran over schedule.

Also, what would the software on short-range inductive charging even be doing that is that complicated? I've had inductively charged toothbrushes since the '90s, and those didn't exactly rely on fancy software.

Your last point is also exactly what I was thinking. Obviously a phone is more complicated. And the phone still needs to be operating and receiving messages and calls while it is sitting on the charger. But still how different is that from the charge it is getting from being plugged in?

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

Based on past experience they will ship iPhone 8 even if it has problems rather than wait for a finished product because they know people will flock to buy it regardless. They won't delay because Cook is more interested in Wall Street than Main Street.

Sadly this is true . . .

 

[Tech198]

Apple's all about getting it done right even if its delayed, so why should this be any different....so Apple may may not get it out before another company, does that really matter? compared to how good they work? Since we all know improvements are followed by Apple anyway to teach other companies how do to theirs it doesn't really matter.