The iPhone 8 will launch in September, but stock shortages might stop consumers getting their hands on it for weeks or even months afterwards, according to a leaked investor note.
This is according to MacRumors, which obtained a research note penned by Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Thomas O’Malley, and Jerry Zhang. It also said the new iPhone will launch alongside an iPhone 7s and a 7s Plus.
They said: “Suppliers generally had good things to say about the upcoming iPhone 8 launch (for our purposes iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, and iPhone Pro) as new features drive a more complicated manufacturing process and higher ASPs. We now believe that all three devices will feature wireless charging and will all be launched in the normal September timeframe, although the majority of iPhone Pro volumes may not be available until Q4.”
Apple’s iPhone launches have taken place every September since the first in 2007, and it looks like the 10th anniversary – the iPhone 8 (also rumoured to be called the iPhone Edition or iPhone Pro) – will also follow suit.
However, as MacRumors pointed out, last year’s iPhone 7 Plus Jet Black model was incredibly hard to find in the run up to Christmas, and the Barclays note appears to suggest it will be a similar situation with the iPhone 8.
The news comes after previous suggestions the iPhone 8 may be delayed due to new technologies involved in its construction. A Digitimes report noted that putting Apple’s 3D Touch technology in new AMOLED screens would add complexity to the build.