Shortage of OLED-Making Machines Could Potentially Impact Production of 2017 iPhone

[Sasparilla]

Shortages happen every year for every apple product.

We'll have to see of course. This is going to be a 3rd option (by rumors) with edge to edge display size of the Plus but nearly in the normal iPhone size - while also bringing out the regular 7s and 7s Plus (even if they call them 8's). So they'll undoubtedly charge more for this OLED option....maybe with the price high enough, demand will be tamped down and all the peons (myself included) will get regular (non edge to edge OLED) 7s's.

Since this (edge to edge iPhone display) was broadcast for the last several years Samsung is pushing to have this for their s8 in March and since all their production is already OLED they could do it for their whole s8 offering (making it difficult for Apple in Sept. to push this on the market as only a higher end offering). Time will tell.

 

[cardfan]

Told ya so..lol

 

[weup togo]

Wild thought, what if Apple actually planned the 2017 phone already 2-3 years back...?
Or is Bloomberg assuming that production planning for the 2017 iPhone starts a few months before shipping?

This is exactly what happened. Jony's ultimate iPhone is a featureless rounded slab, the elemental form, if you will. Apple chose to ship the iPhone 7 as a half-measure with some of the most controversial but necessary features of the 8, so that it would get all the bad press.

• Eliminating the 3.5mm jack and beefing up wireless audio capabilities lets them remove one mechanism and hole.
• Eliminating the mechanical home button with the fake one lets them remove another
• iPhone 8 will eliminate the Lightning port. You will have wireless/magnetic inductive charging for power, W2/bluetooth for audio.
• TouchID will be embedded directly into the glass face, which will cover the entire surface to the rounded edges on all sides.
• They will eliminate the mechanical buttons for volume as well.

The end result is a smooth rounded glass object that feels great in the hand, and interfaces with the world wirelessly. It's the most ambitious redesign ever. Unfortunately Tim is a ****-up so it is going to end up having severe supply constraints as this article speculates, or serious quality issues from being rushed to market too soon.

I will be selling all of my stock before its announcement.

 

[JosephAW]

Just get the guys who made the sapphire glass for the iPhone 6 to make the OLED displays... oh wait a minute... never mind.

 

[cardfan]

Get your wallets ready for iPhone 7S in Pearl White. It's a brand new "design" (color). If this truly wireless charging tech happens though, it'll be a pleasant (satisfying) surprise like the iPhone 5S with Touch ID.

Yep, yep.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

The threading of the 2017 iPhone narrative needle to brainwash us that technological constraints "force" Apple to develop a new, more limited, flagship model tier with an even higher price than the current Plus. I'll be the first to admit I have no clue how OLED displays are made, but it's not brand new tech and Apple must have been thinking about OLED for longer than a month before the iPhone 7 shipped. Again -- I thought TC was suppose to be a master of the supply chain and logistics.

 

[Col4bin]

Shortage of OLED Making Machines Could Potentially Impact Production of 2017 IPhone

Cue the 7S!

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I love how the majority of MR posters will blame Apple for this, i.e. "There's an excuse for every single shortage..." Sucks to be Apple these days, well, except for the millions of products they continue to sell.

No, it sucks for Apple customers who have to wait weeks or months for a new product. Airpods just came out they're backordered until FEB. iPhone 7 Plus was (or still is?) backordered for months.

Maybe Apple could take of their billions in cash and make some factories to build their products?

 

[lordofthereef]

I can imagine this thing is going to be far more popular than ever, particularly if even half of the rumors about it hold true.
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No, it sucks for Apple customers who have to wait weeks or months for a new product. Airpods just came out they're backordered until FEB. iPhone 7 Plus was (or still is?) backordered for months.

Maybe Apple could take of their billions in cash and make some factories to build their products?

Perhaps. The company would have to make the conscious decision to go into manufacturing though. It may be simply an issue of logistics. I certainly couldn't begin to fathom what it takes. I can't imagine it hasn't been discussed.

 

[Sasparilla]

Just get the guys who made the sapphire glass for the iPhone 6 to make the OLED displays... oh wait a minute... never mind.

That's okay, I'll take my iPhone only sapphire glass camera lens covers that have been there for several generations any day over the plastic ones every one else gives their customers. Too bad its only lens covers, but its worth it from that.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Then stop buying Apple products. Nothing Tim Cook has done would warrant a firing.

The iPhone 7 is the best phone I've ever used.

Welll then that settles it.
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Few companies in the world have these kinds of problems: problems a sheer scale. The iPhone has become so popular that untold tens of millions are sold each year. How on earth does any company make 10,000,000 anything? The numbers are mind boggling.

The future of the iPhone is going to be hampered by its popularity. Too many people want them. Any new technology has to be stamped out in the zillions. And fast!

Yes, and for this reason it is difficult to have the latest tech.

 

[V.K.]

I remember reading very similar things a year ago about why iPhone 7 would not have OLED screens. Surely Apple had enough time to plan how to deal with this issue for iPhone 8.

 

[Jessica08]

Kinda off topic, but isn't Apple and Samsung in some kind of lawsuit against each other, but yet they work together? Or Apple uses their products? Weird.

 

[DogHouseDub]

Surely all those 1/4 stereo jack-making machines can be repurposed for this...

 

[dumastudetto]

Apple should have a special launch price at say $300 above the normal price for those who absolutely need to own these new iPhones on day one. Nothing wrong with Apple profiting from insane demand, and it's a price many of us would be willing to pay in order to guarantee an iPhone at launch. Once demand cools the price can go back down for the normals.

 

[littyboy]

I feel like this is now part of a marketing scheme. There's always an announced "shortage," and next thing you know, sales of XXX have surpassed previous models. Happens EVERY year.

 

[Analog Kid]

Kinda off topic, but isn't Apple and Samsung in some kind of lawsuit against each other, but yet they work together? Or Apple uses their products? Weird.

It's not personal, Sonny, it's strictly business.

 

[tech4all]

Apple should have a special launch price at say $300 above the normal price for those who absolutely need to own these new iPhones on day one. Nothing wrong with Apple profiting from insane demand, and it's a price many of us would be willing to pay in order to guarantee an iPhone at launch. Once demand cools the price can go back down for the normals.

Why not $1,000? Or even $10,000? That'll help Apple's profit margins and that's all that matters.

 

[bushman4]

Don't expect to much for the iPhone 8...............and you won't be disapointed

Enough said.

 

[Denmac1]

No, it sucks for Apple customers who have to wait weeks or months for a new product. Airpods just came out they're backordered until FEB. iPhone 7 Plus was (or still is?) backordered for months.

Maybe Apple could take of their billions in cash and make some factories to build their products?

Supposedly. SJ chose TC as he was the 'master' of supply logistics. From my observations, this was passed down to Jeff Williams (please correct, if wrong)., and now, as always, we will have a predetermined shortage of product.
Outside of the 'white' iPhone, I don't know of any other delay (outside of the Air Pods) in product. From past observations, we appear to have a repeat of past releases....Hmmmmm.

 

[PBRsg]

I'm surprised those machines are so uncommon still. I thought everyone was jumping on the OLED train by now.

Even some laptops have it these days. And rightly so, it's great tech. I love it on my Samsung Tab S (Even though it's so slow that I only use it to watch movies). I have an S7 as well but its screen was flawed (strange brightness unevenness in vertical bands) so it doesn't get much use. Samsung's QC is really bad and so is their support, unfortunately.

I wish Apple would come down in price a bit so I could go back to the brand privately. But they've just priced themselves out of my budget. Still using a 5S as my main work phone though

I agree with you about Samsung's QC. I have had some bad experiences and so have others that I know.

 

[dumastudetto]

Why not $1,000? Or even $10,000? That'll help Apple's profit margins and that's all that matters.

A $300 launch premium seems about right to me.

This isn't just about profits. It is also helping Apple's most loyal customers to get their hands on the latest tech ahead of everyone else, and also hinders the game some play buying and flipping products on auction sites for an easy profit.

 

[tooltalk]

Huh, Apple has over $230B in the bank. Maybe they should help someone buy more machines.

Apple wouldn't have $230B in the first place if they had invested all their profit in basic research / manufacturing / R&D. Apple lets everyone else do much of the heavy lifting.
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It's gota suck to be Apple sometimes, every time they want to introduce a new technology, it needs to first be mass produced on the scale of 100's of millions. (I know oleds are not new, was speaking just in general)

But that's what drives Apple's success -- the perception of scarcity and exclusivity.

 

[Tech198]

It wouldn't be an iPhone release unless there was a shortage on some component!

haha..yep... I think that's solid in cermet now.

 

[quietstormSD]

It feels like Apple is leaking rumors to tamp down expectations of the next iPhone (again)