Rumor: iPhone with OLED screen may come later due to lack of 3D cameras
Apple might release its iPhone with OLED screen later than in September due to a lack of the 3D camera that the manufacturer wants to place in the device. A French site claims this based on an anonymous source with the suspected maker of the sensors.
Because the production of the 3D camera will start later, the iPhone 8 would not go into mass production until September and probably only come out at the end of this year, writes 9to5 Mac. Apple has been releasing its new iPhones in September for several years now.
The manufacturer of the sensors would be STMicro, which makes time-of-flight sensors for other smartphones. Apple and STMicro are said to have opened a laboratory for the development of the 3D camera in the French city of Grenoble in 2015. According to the French site iGeneration, STMicro is not ready in time to deliver millions of the sensors.
STMicro’s most recent quarterly figures suggest that the information is indeed true. The supplier said in its quarterly results: “In particular, we foresee substantial sales from a newly acquired program in the second half of 2017.” Despite inquiries from investors, the company declined to comment further on which customer and what component it is, but the company says it will invest a billion euros in manufacturing the new part.
Besides iGeneration, the renowned Japanese blog Mac Otakara also says that the iPhone with OLED screen will come later. The 3D camera could scan the surroundings of the iPhone and faces. The manufacturer could use that for biometric authentication, for example, instead of the Touch ID fingerprint scanner in the home button. In addition, it would become possible to enable augmented reality applications. Apple foreman Tim Cook has said in public for some time that he sees a lot in augmented reality.
It has been rumored for some time that Apple plans to release three new iPhones this year. Two of them are regular models that follow the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, with LCDs and a conventional design. The third is rumored to have a 5.8″ OLED screen with thin bezels and a new design without a home button in addition to the 3D sensor. That model would be called iPhone 8 or iPhone Edition.