Richard Goodwin 03/05/2017 - 11:10am

Word on the street suggests Apple’s iPhone 8 will not get a release date in 2017, after all

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.”

Sources inside Foxconn have also said Apple WILL NOT release the iPhone 8 inside 2017, meaning a launch could be pushed into Q1 2018 (or later).

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.