Get your salt at the ready, we have a rather meaty iPhone 8 rumour for you: according to multiple sources, Apple will NOT release the iPhone 8 inside 2017. That’s right: no iPhone 8 – just the boring old iPhone 7s.

Sources say Apple is experiencing A LOT of issues getting the iPhone 8 built in the desired numbers.

Production woes had already pushed back the release of the handset by a couple of months, around November-time, according to BGR, but that date has now been further delayed with the news that it might not even get a release inside 2017.

“Report suggests no new iPhone 8 this calendar year,” wrote analysts at Deutsche Bank. “As we have written in previous [research notes], several supply chain reports have suggested that key component shortages and technical challenges could delay the release of a high-end iPhone 8 device this fall. We believe this report further underscores the uncertainty around the timing of Apple’s next- generation iPhone model.”

On the complete OPPOSITE end of the spectrum, however, is the news that Apple’s iPhone 8 could actually launch at WWDC 2017 – in just under a month’s time.

At the same time, TrendForce has published a report regarding the iPhones which WILL arrive in 2017, suggesting that this year's models will not pack 4GB of RAM, instead Apple will go for 3.2GB. However, the analysis does differ somewhat from DeutscheBank, in the sense that TrendForce believes the iPhone 8 with OLED will also pack 3.2GB RAM and that users shouldn't expect 4GB RAM until 2018; that suggests the firm still expects the iPhone 8 to arrive this year.

The latest whispers on May 8 fall on the side of claiming there's NO DELAY AT ALL for the iPhone 8 and that it will arrive during September 2017, alongside the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. That's according to DigiTimes, which cites China's Economic Daily News; it says that the iPhone 8 mass production is on schedule. There won't be a delay, it suggests, and Apple will reveal the iPhone 8 in September 2017 with a view to it hitting the market by October.

"Upstream to downstream suppliers in the iPhone supply chains, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), SLP (substrate-like PCB) makers Zhen Ding Technology and Kinsus Interconnect Technology, and battery supplier Simplo Technology, are ready to ramp up related iPhone parts starting June. TSMC will begin to fabricate the wafer starts needed for the production of A11 processors on June 10 and to deliver the chips in volume quantity in the second half of July, the report indicated."

Basically, it's anyone's guess what's going on at the moment but a September launch and release, as originally expected, now sounds likely. 

"The report defied previous speculations that volume production of new iPhone devices would be delayed to the fourth quarter of 2017 instead of the original schedule in August-September due to yield rate issues on production of some parts," said DigiTimes.

"iPhone assemblers Foxconn Electronics, Winstron and Pegatron are accelerating the recruitment and training of new workers in China in preparation of mass production of the new iPhone," it added.

As I said earlier, it’s silly season for iPhone rumours. Everybody’s trying to get in on the action. 

Never before has Apple’s upcoming phone launch been so mysterious; we know there will be three new phones – at some point – but we do not know when they will arrive (or in what order). Personally, I believe all three phones will be announced at the same time, though the more expensive iPhone 8 release date will be delayed.

This seems like the most logical approach, as two phone launches within a month or one another does not make any sense. Nor does holding off until April or the end of Q1 2018. How Apple handles this will be incredibly important, as demand for a redesigned iPhone is at an all time high. Competition is also very strong too with solid releases from Samsung and more to come from both Samsung and Google and OnePlus later on this year.

I think ALL iPhones will be announced during the September keynote, but the iPhone 8 will not get a release until November. This will allow Apple to sort out its issues, debut all of its new innovations and sell some iPhone 7s handsets in the interim.

The iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus are apparently on track for a release in the usual block, though I cannot see too many people getting excited by these handsets when the prospect of the iPhone 8 has been dangled in front of their noses for the past six months.

Obviously, nothing said in these reports is gospel; you need to take these things with a pinch of salt. Disinformation is everywhere, not just in politics, and you have to factor in Tim Cook’s recent comments too; the CEO blamed leaks about the iPhone 8 on declining iPhone sales during this past quarter.

Could Mr. Cook be trying to reignite demand for Apple’s current iPhones by chucking a cheeky little rumour about iPhone 8 delays out there? Probably not – but it’s an interesting idea all the same!

Personally, I do not see Apple missing this opportunity. Hype around the iPhone 8 is at an all time high; there’s no way Cook and The Boys are going to miss out on this. Even if the release is delayed by a month or two, the handset will almost certainly be launched alongside the iPhone 7s range.