“Apple buys machines for iPhone 8 production after supplier drops out”

Apple is said to have spent tens of millions of dollars on circuit board equipment for the production of the iPhone 8. The company is said to have done so after a supplier allegedly pulled out and the on-time production of the smartphone was endangered.

The rumors come from ET News, which obtained its information from industry sources, who were not further specified. According to those sources, a Taiwanese supplier for making so-called rigid flexible printed circuit boards would no longer supply Apple, presumably because of the strict requirements and small profit margins.

According to the sources, Apple then decided to purchase the necessary equipment for making the circuit boards itself, and then lease this equipment to other suppliers. This is to ensure that the production of the iPhone 8 is not delayed; Apple would need about 100 million circuit boards by this year. Earlier rumors have stated that Apple would have trouble getting the new iPhone ready in time, although it is unclear to what extent these rumors are correct, or whether these problems have now been resolved.

According to recent rumors, the iPhone 8 will get a laser on the back to improve autofocus and allow the phone to measure distances to objects. There have been rumors for some time about a 3D camera for the iPhone 8, but it is probably on the front and may replace the fingerprint scanner for quickly unlocking the iPhone.