Apple's 'iPhone 8' might ship with wireless charging, front-facing 3D camera disabled due ...

AppleInsider

Apple engineers and designers working on the company's forthcoming "iPhone 8" are facing a software issues that, if not rectified, could see a number of major features disabled when the handset launches.

Citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the matter, Fast Company reports there was a "a sense of panic in the air" last month as the "iPhone 8" team worked to resolve software related issues ahead of debut this fall. Echoing rumors from last week, the report claims Apple is having problems deploying its first wireless charging solution designed to handle high-power applications like smartphones.

According to the source, the company is implementing Qi, or at least a variation of the standard, in the next-generation handset. Hardware, like inductive charging and power management chips, is reportedly being supplied by longtime partner Broadcom, but the components are not at issue. Instead, the problem lies in software, the report says.

Last week, blogger John Gruber made similar claims on Twitter, saying Apple's wireless charging solution might not be ready in time for launch. He went on to say Apple engineers might build the functionality into iOS 11.1, suggesting software was at fault. Today's report reiterates Gruber's tweet and maintains Apple could release "iPhone 8" without wireless charging enabled, then take feature live once the bugs are worked out.

Apple is also having difficulties with software powering the front-facing 3D-sensing camera, the report says. Earlier this month, a Bloomberg report claimed the company would ditch Touch ID fingerprint recognition in favor of facial scanning, though that rumor seems unlikely considering Touch ID's integral role in Apple Pay and other tentpole features. The Fast Company source believes Apple will have the 3D sensor firmware ready in time.

Finally, the source says recent reports claiming Apple has yet to determine a final location for Touch ID are plausible, though they believe the sensor will end up being embedded within the display. The upcoming iPhone is anticipated to feature an edge-to-edge OLED screen -- another source of potential production delays -- that will do away with iPhone's traditional home button. Apple was initially expected to embed a Touch ID module beneath the display, though recent predictions from industry watchers like Ming-Chi Kuo note the sensor might instead be integrated into the handset's rear cover glass.

LordeHawk

Hmmm....

Is it me, or are the doom and gloom reports starting earlier this year?  Also, are we assuming that the iPhone Pro will be launching in September?

Make sure I have this correct.  There're software issues in a system not due out for months at the earliest.  Is testing and iteration not part of product development?
In other news, the 2018 and 2019 iPhone is having some software issues too, hopefully they can figure it out in time...

I'm not one to speculate but these rumors are questionable.  Hundreds of successful iQ rollouts and Apple's custom designed power solutions, including fast charging tech in current products, refutes any real threat.
On the camera front, I'm sure someone in any of the AR teams acquired in the past couple years, might figure it out.  Or maybe Apple bought them all for fun, oh wait, AR worked flawless in the demos.

Really?  These pathetic rumors over a month before the keynote?  We could just wait and see what happens...

Roxy Balboa

I’ll believe it if the source was from the kremlin.

macxpress

Reports for tomorrow say that the iPhone 8 will ship with 3G only because of software issues...and the fingerprint reader was seen on the rear, but thats unconfirmed. 

EsquireCats

Perhaps these stories were deliberately leaked to counter a dip in sales resulting from this year's early rumours of the next iPhone. (I.E. Released to discouraging new customers from holding out.) As far as rumours go these seem odd, the software rumours are premature and the hardware rumours are late. There is still time to address software issues, while the hardware would need to be finalised past the point of significant design alteration. If Apple are last-minute flipping and flopping on the finger print sensor location then there will be evidence of this in the final design, which in itself will be an unusual compromise for this company and such a thin device.

Metriacanthosaurus

This has become an embarrassment. Apple’s next iPhone was wrapped months ago. This stock manipulation is pathetic. 

Roxy Balboa

Fast Company should change its name to Desperate Company. When you have next to no leaks coming out then you start writing garbage like this.

gmgravytrain

The news media is reporting these stories as though this is the first smartphone Apple has ever made. There seems to be issues with everything on the iPhone. I find it strange that these media pundits would have access to all this inside information. If these reports were true then there would have to be someone inside of Apple telling this stuff. I still can't understand how these people can get away with making up these stories.

indieshack

Yep, I'll pay $1200 for an iPhone with no ID (touch or 3D optical), no Apple Pay  and no wireless charging. Software issues may well be hardware issues which are functionally unfixable as far as Apple is concerned. I have trouble believing this stuff because a lot of this presumably would have been locked down six months ago.

lkrupp

Rene Ritchie (iMore) put the squash on this crap. Whatever the new iPhone is it was wrapped up months ago and is already in production. Apple simply doesn’t operate like the these rumors suggest. Releasing products with features disabled is something Samsung does (Bixby). This is the craziest nonsense to come out of the rumor mill in years. 

And remember this. Apple hasn’t said a damn thing about any additional iPhone model being released this year. People have assumed Apple would produce a tenth anniversary iPhone. That’s all. 

Soli

lkrupp said:

Rene Ritchie (iMore) put the squash on this crap. Whatever the new iPhone is it was wrapped up months ago and is already in production. Apple simply doesn’t operate like the these rumors suggest. Releasing products with features disabled is something Samsung does (Bixby). This is the craziest nonsense to come out of the rumor mill in years. 

And remember this. Apple hasn’t said a damn thing about any additional iPhone model being released this year. People have assumed Apple would produce a tenth anniversary iPhone. That’s all. 

I agreed with you until you said that Apple wouldn't release a product with a SW feature disabled until the SW is ironed out. We saw it last year with Portrait Mode, I seem to recall this happening on other years, too.

tshapi

What if the rumors fhat the Touch ID is on the back are true. And what if the Touch ID on the back ... is built into the back glass panel... the entire panel is a finger print reader since there will be no screen to interfere with the quality lol 

tshapi

This has happened before with Apple. Remember the iPod touch that came out with out a cut out for a camera but had no such camera?  

foggyhill

Soli said:

lkrupp said:

Rene Ritchie (iMore) put the squash on this crap. Whatever the new iPhone is it was wrapped up months ago and is already in production. Apple simply doesn’t operate like the these rumors suggest. Releasing products with features disabled is something Samsung does (Bixby). This is the craziest nonsense to come out of the rumor mill in years. 

And remember this. Apple hasn’t said a damn thing about any additional iPhone model being released this year. People have assumed Apple would produce a tenth anniversary iPhone. That’s all. 

I agreed with you until you said that Apple wouldn't release a product with a SW feature disabled until the SW is ironed out. We saw it last year with Portrait Mode, I seem to recall this happening on other years, too.

Portrait Mode was mostly a software feature though, which used the doubles lens to blur the background.

The bugs were relatively minor even in Beta but Apple didn't want to release a differentiating software feature with a bug.

You could still zoom in using those double lens, so the hardware was mostly functional.

williamh

tshapi said:

This has happened before with Apple. Remember the iPod touch that came out with out a cut out for a camera but had no such camera?  

No, actually I don't recall that at all.

goodbyeranch

tshapi said:

What if the rumors fhat the Touch ID is on the back are true. And what if the Touch ID on the back ... is built into the back glass panel... the entire panel is a finger print reader since there will be no screen to interfere with the quality lol 

I think it's the sides of the phone. Simply holding it unlocks it. 

king editor the grate

tshapi said:

This has happened before with Apple. Remember the iPod touch that came out with out a cut out for a camera but had no such camera?  

I remember such a spot on my 2g Touch. It was purportedly an antenna hole rather than a non-camera. 

entropys

I see we are at  that stage of the Apple Product Cycle.

wizard69

Roxy Balboa said:

I’ll believe it if the source was from the kremlin.

L!O!L!

Seems like the whole nation is focused on finding something wrong somewhere to complain about.

mainyehc

williamh said:

tshapi said:

This has happened before with Apple. Remember the iPod touch that came out with out a cut out for a camera but had no such camera?  

No, actually I don't recall that at all.

king editor the grate said:

tshapi said:

This has happened before with Apple. Remember the iPod touch that came out with out a cut out for a camera but had no such camera?  

I remember such a spot on my 2g Touch. It was purportedly an antenna hole rather than a non-camera. 

tshapi called it  a “cut-out” and you both may be thinking it was something in the exterior case, but it wasn't. There was a prototype with such a hole, yes:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/covinoandrich/3821820098/in/photostream/

… but the actual proof of the camera having been axed very late in development was found by the iFixit staff during their customary teardown:

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPod+Touch+3rd+Generation+Teardown/1158#s6204

That being said, you can't really compare tentpole features, both established (TouchID) and new (3D-sensing capabilities, induction charging, etc.), in Apple's best-selling product being in complete flux just before the Keynote to… them changing their minds over a crappy camera on an iPod, which was still back then kind of a secondary device for people (mostly kids) without a data plan. Like many others here I call it BS, and it's most likely serving some traders well.

redpony

I can’t see apple shipping/or have they ever shipped a unfinished product. It’s possible that if something is not ready it will be delayed until the following iPhone i.e 8s, implement it in later iOS update.  With that said. This iPhone is going to have to be amazing, to stay competitive. they are definitely behind in a lot of ways. 
With a 1000$ rumored price tag. It better be.