Touch ID problems in Apple's 'iPhone 8' predicted to limit launch shipments, won't affect ...

Posted:
in iPhone edited July 2017
An analyst historically extremely critical of Apple believes that "iPhone 8" shipments, apparently constrained by late resolution of in-screen OLED Touch ID issues, will impact third quarter shipments for Apple, but won't have much impact on its marketshare, particularly in China.



Image credit: Nodus and Gordon Kelly


In a note to investors on Tuesday, seen by AppleInsider, Jun Zhang from Rosenblatt Securities writes that full production of the "iPhone 8" won't begin in earnest until the end of September. Zhang continues to believe that Apple won't give up on Touch ID in favor of a facial recognition sensor, and that any apparent issues will be worked out before the product launches.

The report predicts that Apple will produce 25 million "iPhone 8" units in September, and another 60 million in the holiday quarter. As with the last prognostications from the analyst in late May, there appears to be no awareness of differentiation between the "iPhone 8" and the also-rumored "iPhone 7s" family device in the report.

The analyst has failed to predict any production at all for the device, with a line item in a chart displaying a plus variant of the "iPhone 8" instead. While the plus model is labeled for the iPhone 7 and "iPhone 8," no such item exists for the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s family, suggesting the analyst is either not fully aware of Apple's product lines or shipment history, or as simply combined legacy plus models under one umbrella.




The latest report stands in opposition of the previous one from the company, that believed that Chinese manufacturers would take advantage of any delay in the iPhone 8 to seize marketshare. This time around, the analyst believes that Oppo and Huawei have made cuts in production compounding with an "iPhone 8" delay and leading to a slower than expected third calendar quarter in China.

Notably, Rosenblatt Securities has maintained a $120 price target for shares of AAPL since September 6, 2016, despite the fact that the company has been trading above the $120 mark since January, and currently sits above of $150.

The "iPhone 8" is rumored to be the first Apple phone with an OLED panel with 5.1 inches of usable space, and a bottom strip of virtual buttons. Also rumored to be included is a new 3D facial scanner, possibly supplanting the Touch ID user identification system, though Zhang maintains hope that the fingerprint sensor will remain.

Early reports suggested a cost of more than $1,000. More recent discussions have centered around the possibility of the device retailing for as much as $1,200.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    More "analysts" who need to keep their name in the news cycle. But the Internet remembers every dumb and completely off prediction.
    lkruppnetmagewatto_cobraMetriacanthosaurusbb-15
  • Reply 2 of 10
    robjnrobjn Posts: 283member
    Why are you even printing this.
    This guy deserves no media attention or only attention that exposes what he says against the facts.
    netmagewatto_cobrastevenoz
  • Reply 3 of 10
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    So, someone shat something and it was printed here... He's near zero in actually having things right, while Kuo is at 30%.

    Most analysts are now market gamers, they all make me sick (and not just when they talk about Apple).

    The only time they don't sell bullshit is for the clients that pay them directly, and who knows who those are...
  • Reply 4 of 10
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    robjn said:
    Why are you even printing this.
    This guy deserves no media attention or only attention that exposes what he says against the facts.
    Despite the old saying, not all media attention is good.

    The language in the piece is clear.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,404member
    Is there any part of the 8 that won't be delayed?

    That might be newsworthy...
  • Reply 6 of 10
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,251member
    Is there any part of the 8 that won't be delayed?

    That might be newsworthy...
    Since nobody really knows what the iPhone8 contains, other than some chips, there's no way of knowing what will or won't be delayed. Of course, saying this is not newsworthy, which is why few places would even publish it. We all know the only thing people want to read, and what sells advertising clicks, is speculation--especially bad news (real or fake).
    bb-15
  • Reply 7 of 10
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,404member
    rob53 said:
    Is there any part of the 8 that won't be delayed?

    That might be newsworthy...
    Since nobody really knows what the iPhone8 contains, other than some chips, there's no way of knowing what will or won't be delayed. Of course, saying this is not newsworthy, which is why few places would even publish it. We all know the only thing people want to read, and what sells advertising clicks, is speculation--especially bad news (real or fake).
    I guess I should have added the "/sarcasm" tag... 
  • Reply 8 of 10
    bb-15bb-15 Posts: 283member
    robjn said:
    Why are you even printing this.
    This guy deserves no media attention or only attention that exposes what he says against the facts.
    I enjoy reading doom and gloom predictions about Apple. For years every quarter or so an 'analyst' would predict that Apple would go out of business. The number of those going bankrupt predictions got to 50+ and I lost count. 

    Once Apple became the biggest company in terms of market cap, then the FUD predictions became that the stock price would fall like a rock because some version of the iPhone would fail. 
    Year after year, I like watching the anti-Apple brigade being repeatedly wrong. 
    edited July 2017
  • Reply 9 of 10
    Is there any part of the 8 that won't be delayed?

    That might be newsworthy...

    I'm guessing the boxes will be ready on time...
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