The first batch of the highly anticipated iPhone 5S is rumoured to be smaller than expected due to poor yields of fingerprint-sensor chips and LCD-drive ICs, a report published by the Taiwanese tech publication, Digitimes, claims.
Volume production of fingerprint-recognition and LCD driver chips for the iPhone 5S should have started at the end of June or early in July, but issues related to yield rates will delay commercial production of the two chips to the end of July, therefore affecting the initial supply of the iPhone 5S, the sources explained.
Rumours of the iPhone to feature a fingerprint sensor have been around since last year, when Apple acquired AuthenTec for $356 million. There were voices that the sensor will make it to the iPhone 5, but that never materialized.
This year, however, multiple sources have whispered that the iPhone 5S will indeed sport this great new security addition, with a Paypal executive suggesting that Apple will pave the way for finally eliminating the need for passwords.
Now the latest report from Digitimes claims that the company has run into issues related to the original design of the chip, which reportedly caused lower yield rates. The report notes that TSMC will manufacture the fingerprint scanner chip, just like it did before for AuthenTec.
As a result of the yield issue, Digitimes’ sources estimate around 3 million iPhone 5S units will be delayed into the holiday quarter.
