iPhone 8 Reportedly Facing New Issues With Wireless Charging, 3D Front Sensor

iPhone 8 has according to multiple reports been been facing many hiccups ever since early reports of its existence started cropping up, and the 10th anniversary edition has reportedly landed itself in fresh trouble. The latest leaks indicate that Apple employees are working in a state of panic, as new issues surrounding wireless charging and the 3D front camera have arisen, and it may cause a delay in the launch of the iPhone 8. Another (rather sketchy) report claims that the Cupertino giant is still in a dilemma over Touch ID integration, and if it is missed, Apple may ditch Apple Pay as well. Even amidst all these rumours, Wall Street is very bullish about the iPhone 8, however Deutsche Bank analysts thinks it’s an overly optimistic view to keep at this point.

Starting with the technical issues, Apple is now said to be facing new issues with wireless charging and 3D front camera, reports Fast Company. These aren’t hardware issues, but software ones, that Apple employees are feverishly trying to solve. The report claims that if these issues are not solved, the phone may see delivery delays and even launch with many features disabled at first. To fix this, Apple employees are now reportedly working in ‘a state of panic.’

“The company has been working feverishly to fix software problems in its hotly anticipated 10th-anniversary iPhone that could ultimately cause production and delivery delays, the source says. If the software problems aren’t resolved quickly, the new flagship iPhone could even launch with major features disabled,” the report states.

The wireless charging being used is reportedly of the inductive type, and it corroborates with John Gruber’s predictions that the feature will be disabled at launch, and will arrive with iOS 11.1 presumably, just like the Portrait Mode last year. Similarly, Apple is having issues to get the 3D sensor to work with iOS, and may enable it later in the year as well with a software update.

Citing KeyBanc Capital Markets analysts, a fresh Barron’s report claims that Apple is still making up its mind on Touch ID, and if production issues continue, it may ditch it altogether. Furthermore, if this happens, then Apple Pay would also be ditched on this variant. “We do not believe facial recognition would be initially qualified as an acceptable verification method for Apple Pay. While Apple could achieve this over time, the likelihood for an initial lack of Apple Pay could adversely affect demand,” the analysts claim.

The report claims that Apple is still keen on bringing Touch ID underneath the display, but if that doesn’t work then facial recognition is considered to be Plan B. However, Apple doesn’t think facial recognition is ready for Apple Pay security, thereby putting it in quite a dilemma.

A separate report from Business Insider claims that a fresh note from Deutsche Bank analysts Sherri Scribner, Adrienne Colby, and Jeffrey Rand suggests that Wall Street is overly optimistic about iPhone 8 sales, and it most likely will not break the record of iPhone 6 sales in 2015. “The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cycle in 2015 was the real supercycle, according to the analysts, who wrote that “everything went right for the iPhone 6 cycle.” Sales went well for Apple due to a number of advantages that will not repeat including a bigger screen and the addition of China Mobile as a new carrier,” the note explained.

Wall Street is expecting sales of 244 million units in financial year 2018, and the analysts cannot see that happening. To recall, financial year 2015 managed to garner record 231 million units sale for Apple. The analysts claim that the competition from China has increased since 2015, and people are upgrading phones after a 2-3 year cycle now. Also, the market is much flatter than it was back then, asserting that the predicted number is exaggerated.

Whatever happens, the iPhone 8 is expected this fall (delay or no delay), and is rumoured to come with a near bezel-less design, an OLED display, better waterproofing, and new AR features.