‘iPhone 8’ Release May Be Delayed till 2018, Says Deutsche Bank

Citing a ValueWalk report, a research note published by analysts from Deutsche Bank are claiming that the much anticipated 10th anniversary edition ‘iPhone 8’ might not be released in 2017, due to key component shortages and technical challenges faced by Apple’s supply chain partners, BusinessInsider reports. “Report suggests no new iPhone 8 this calendar year”, the bank’s analysts wrote citing unnamed supply chain sources.

“As we have written in previous [research notes], several supply chain reports have suggested that key component shortages and technical challenges could delay the release of a high-end iPhone 8 device this fall. We believe this report further underscores the uncertainty around the timing of Apple’s next-generation iPhone model.”

The report notes that sources close to Apple’s primary iPhone assembler Foxconn believe Apple won’t be able to release the ‘iPhone 8’ this year, based on an apparent lack of orders for packaging materials. The iPhone 7s and 7s Plus on the other hand will arrive on schedule in Autumn 2017, said the sources. 

The authenticity of the report however remains questionable since ValueWalk isn’t known for breaking major Apple news, and a delay on this magnitude would not be good for Apple.

Previously, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that the ‘iPhone 8’ may face delays of some kind, although he expects the device to be announced alongside the 7s and 7s Plus, but it might be up to several months until it hit the shelves due to increased production challenges.