Richard Goodwin 13/04/2017 - 1:38pm

Apple’s iPhone 8 might actually be called the iPhone Pro and... it might be getting a later release date than expected

Word on the street suggests Apple’s iPhone 8 will get a later release date than expected. According to multiple sources, Apple’s iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will be available “weeks” before punters can get their hands on the iPhone 8.

Why? Simple: production foibles – the iPhone 8 is a lot more complicated than Apple’s current (and upcoming 7s/7s Plus) models, and this has created some issues with producing the phone in the desired quantities.

"Our contact strongly believes the 5.8in iPhone 8 will be delayed by several weeks due to challenges around the 3D sensing technology, but still in time for the December holidays,” said Apple analyst Brian White.

He added: ”This is not the first time that we've heard about a potential delay with a new iPhone; however, our contact was so emphatic about the delay that we are taking this data point more seriously. Essentially, our contact believes customers will be able to pre-order the new 5.8in iPhone 8 along with the new 4.7in and 5.5in iPhones in September; however, the 5.8in iPhone 8 will not be available for delivery until several weeks later."

But WILL It ACTUALLY Be Called "The iPhone 8"? 

I love Reddit. I spend hours on the site, reading about all kinds of stuff. It’s great for technology news, opinions and rants as well as leaks about upcoming films and pretty much everything else in between.

The iPhone 8 – or, iPhone 7s and iPhone 8 – will launch inside Q4. 

Investors are now starting to get VERY bullish about Apple ahead of this year’s iPhone launch.

JPMorgan, for one, is very excited by the prospect of a completely new design for Apple’s iPhone.

"We are adding Apple to the AFL [analyst focus list] and materially raising our forecasts due to what we believe is high pent-up replacement demand heading into the 10th anniversary iPhone cycle this year," analyst Rod Hall wrote in a note to clients Sunday.

"Multiple iPhone 'Pro' features including 3D facial scanning, a glass heavy design, and a structured-light-enabled camera look likely to us and should drive users to upgrade phones that are older, on average, than they have been for four years.”

Apple will use OLED panels inside its iPhone 8 – or, iPhone Pro – model for the first time in the handset’s history. It will use the same screen technology that is present inside the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus.

Why? Simple: Samsung is Apple’s main supplier for OLED panels. And the advent of Apple using OLED panels inside its iPhone will be very lucrative for Samsung as it will create a HUGE uplift in demand for panels – 40-50 million unit-more, to be precise.

Ahead of Apple’s switch to OLED, Samsung is reportedly investing $9 billion in its OLED production facilities to meet demands for future iPhones. That is a huge sum of money, but with Apple likely switching over completely to OLED in 2018/19, it is an investment that will likely pay huge dividends in the long run.

Samsung currently owns around 95% of the OLED manufacturing space and is obviously keen to ensure it remains that way between now and 2020.

But what will the BIG iPhone update actually be called? We've heard iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone Pro – but which is most likely? 

I came across a post the other day that I found really interesting. The title was: “What I think the 2017 iPad means for this September's iPhone devices.”

Basically, the guy that posted it claims that Apple ditching its Air branding for its laptops and iPads is move to simplify its products into two distinct categories: consumer and prosumer (or expensive and very expensive).

Just look at the new iPad lineup: you have iPad (9.7 and Mini) and iPad Pro. iPad Pro is for serious, “professional” usage, while iPad is for more casual stuff like browsing the web and playing games.

Similarly, Apple’s MacBook lineup now has a similar slant: you have the iMac and Mac Pro and MacBook and MacBook Pro now that Apple has got rid of the Air brand.

The only aspect of the theory I don’t agree with is the part that claims Apple will switch to calling its next iPhone releases “iPhone” and “iPhone Pro” – I just don’t see Apple dropping the number designation.

The iPhone 8 could well be called the iPhone Pro; that kind of makes sense, as Apple wouldn’t have three handsets spread over two numbers on the market at the same time.

Using the number 8, stupid as it might sound, could also be a marketing thing too – a move that is done to ensure people equate the iPhone 8 as the “same” or “better” than the Galaxy S8. Lower numbers often carry connotations of inferiority and brands like Apple and Samsung are aware of this.

None of this is official, but I think Darxo, the OP, made some excellent points and the discussion that follows, if you’re on Reddit, is definitely worth a read as well.

What you guys reckon?