Apple hit a major snag in its development of the iPhone 8. The tech giant apparently is having a difficult time integrating its Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor underneath the OLED display. This is seen as one of the main reasons why the iPhone 8 will be delayed.
According to MacRumors, the Touch ID is the "biggest bottleneck" preventing the scheduled mass production of the highly-anticipated iPhone 8's 5.8-inch display. MacRumors cited Timothy Arcuri, an analyst at Cowen and Company, as the source of this news. Arcuri, in turn, based his presumptions on his own supply chain field work.
There are three possible solutions to this ongoing dilemma. First, Apple can simply decide on ditching the Touch ID feature completely. While it seems as simple a solution as it can be, there are possible repercussions. For one, the iPhone 8 will not be that secure. The Samsung Galaxy S8 received some flak after someone supposedly unlocked the Galaxy S8 through its facial recognition feature just by using a photo of his face. Without the Touch ID, the iPhone 8 will only have face and iris recognition as its first line of defense.
The second solution is to relocate the Touch ID to the back of the iPhone 8. This poses a problem as it will be quite awkward and uncomfortable to reach for the scanner. If this is the case, the iPhone 8 will not be deemed user-friendly as Arcuri explained.
The final possible scenario is to delay the launch of the 10th anniversary iPhone. It has already been rumored that the launch will not happen on September breaking tradition in the process. However, this option only means that the 5.8-inch version will be the one delayed until the company figures out a way to integrate the Touch ID into the edge-to-edge OLED display. The 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch variants are still expected to be unveiled in September.
Despite the potential gloomy scenarios, Apple is still intent on giving the iPhone 8 the features it needs to become a success, especially with the highly impressive Galaxy S8 casting its shadows on the whole industry. As Tom's Guide noted, all the iPhone 8 models will have upgraded their RAM to 3GB while also sporting a new glass and stainless steel design, 3D camera, better IP rate, improved battery life, and wireless charging.
