LG has announced that it will pour more than half of its capital expenditure budget into manufacturing plants to increase production of large panels suitable for televisions, as well as small ones for devices like the forthcoming "iPhone 8."
A week after a case manufacturer "confirmed" the iPhone 8 design, the same company has altered its rendering of the device slightly to conform to new ideas about the "notch" at the top of the screen for sensors, but still including a larger power/lock button and no rear Touch ID.
A report from the supply chain suggests that Apple is investing in equipment to assist in supplying OLED screens to the "iPhone 8" and beyond, but who will run the gear and for what purpose is not known.
Supply chain reports suggest that one of Apple's suppliers is having production difficulties in a part associated with the OLED screen which will cause mass production to start later than normal for the "iPhone 8" — and the "iPhone 7s" has yet hit the assembly lines for reasons unknown.
Apple's 2017 iPhone production may be impacted by an industry-wide shortage of DRAM has been compounded by a production problem at a Micron plant, and aggravated by low yields of 3D NAND production from Apple suppliers SK Hynix and Toshiba.
A list of 10 features that the "iPhone 8" will have — or lack — has been published by noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who believes Apple will not embed a Touch ID sensor under the screen.
Apple appears to be widening supply options for future OLED screen deliveries, with multiple media reports claiming that it is on the cusp of a deal with LG to expand manufacturing capacity.
Possibly flush with OLED screen orders for the "iPhone 8," Samsung is reportedly beefing up its production capacity by building new factories at a pair of new sites in South Korea.
The latest supply chain reports out of China suggest that it is not the Touch ID, or layered motherboard design that may cause later than expected shipments of the forthcoming "iPhone 8," but instead, Samsung is having production issues with the OLED screen for the device that it pioneered.
Samsung appears poised to deliver around 80 million OLED screens suitable for the "iPhone 8" before the end of 2017 — but a later than expected date for mass shipments for the phone is still expected.
Supply chain rumors from South Korea allege that Samsung has signed another deal for OLED screen production for future iPhones, with up to 180 million screens demanded by Apple.
Apple's alleged supplier for the 3D Touch implementation for the OLED "iPhone 8" has hiked its price, and is reportedly charging more than double for the assembly in the new phone, versus what it charges for the iPhone 7.
Later this year, Apple is expected to begin production of its advanced new power-efficient display technology known as micro-LED, which is expected to initially be used to replace OLED in Apple Watch Series 3. The shift is part of a series of moves that is concerning Samsung, LG and other South Korean suppliers.
Another supply chain source suggests that the "iPhone 8" supply in 2017 will be profoundly hamstrung has emerged, but for a different reason — tight supplies of the the Samsung OLED screen.
In an apparent bid to diversify its supply chain and reduce reliance on rival Samsung, Apple is said to be pushing LG Display to enter the small- to medium-sized OLED business, potentially in time for a 2018 iPhone update.
Early on Monday a new diagram purporting to be of the "iPhone 8" surfaced, including questionable specifics about exactly how close the screen comes to the edge of the enclosure, and how the sensors adjacent to the phone's ear speaker are aligned.
New supply chain data shows the impact of a $9 billion OLED screen contract on Samsung, which could see as many as 55 million "iPhone 8" flagship phones shipping to consumers by the end of this year.
New supply chain reports suggest that Apple is having difficulty with the design and sourcing of components of the "iPhone 8," affording credence to earlier reports that the high-end device may not launch in September.
Huawei may have just 8 percent of its smartphones shipped with OLED panels in 2017 because of constrained supply forced by Apple's shift to the technology, and Samsung selling the majority of its available supply for the "iPhone 8."
Yet another report has emerged from the Chinese supply chain, suggesting that while the high-end "iPhone 8" will have a curved screen, but it won't be so pronounced as to make it unrecognizable as an iPhone at first glance.
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Mike Wuerthele
Daniel Eran Dilger
Neil Hughes
