Problems manufacturing a key component could lead to a shortage of iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models
Earlier today we told you that one single Wall Streeter, BofA Global Research analyst Wamsi Mohan, said that Apple could delay the release of the iPhone 15 line until October. So far, there have been no other analysts agreeing with this forecast although one bit of news seems to fit in with Mohan's analysis. According to The Information (via SeekingAlpha), Apple is having problems assembling the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Two people who claim to have "direct knowledge" of the situation warn that the issues could lead to a shortage of the two Pro units when they are released in September (unless Apple does have to delay the launch until October). The report notes how Apple's suppliers are using a new manufacturing technique this year to produce the OLED panels for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max that allows Apple to reduce the size of the bezels on the display.
Check out the thinner bezels on this render of the iPhone 15 Pro
Even though the phones will have the same size screens, 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max respectively, the reduction in bezel size should increase the usable real estate by a small amount. LG Display is one of the major suppliers of these panels. Last year, a problem with LG Display's yields left Apple short screens for the iPhone 14 Pro Max which could have caused delays in the shipping of the top-of-the-line model. Apple reportedly had to pay Samsung through the nose to make up for the missing screens that had to be manufactured and delivered quickly.
Just like the one-month delay that analyst Wamsi Mohan is forecasting for this year, last year Ross Young, the highly regarded CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), said that the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max faced one-month delays thanks to shipments of displays that were arriving late. As it turned out, the iPhone 14 Plus, the non-Pro 6.7-inch model with the largest battery ever found inside an iPhone, didn't ship until the first week of October last year.
Stock traders and investors are using this information as an excuse to dump the stock. With the rest of the market nicely higher today, Apple's shares are down 1.18% or $2.29 to $192.81 in late trading on Thursday.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: