iPhone 5 dock and display production cuts early supply
A report from China today suggests that suppliers behind the production of the new iPhone – or iPhone 5, if you prefer, are finding manufacturing numbers to be a bit lower than planned due to shortage of materials. This report comes from DigiTimes, a publication that has a mixed record for accuracy, but has produced early Asia-based supply news well in advance of official Apple sources in the past. Numbers of iPhone 5 shipments are said to be hitting below 15 million this season where Apple had requested that they be in excess of 20 million for the holiday months.
This first batch of iPhones will be limited in supply but will ramp up in the first several months of 2013, fully prepared for the inevitable rush of post-Christmas shoppers. Shipment numbers are said to be tied directly to the manufacturing of in-cell technology for integrated LCD and touchscreen hardware as detailed earlier today by LG. While the report by LG does not mention specifically that supplies are low (or will be low,) they do speak on how it has been difficult to get to the point they're at now where production can move forward at full speed.
An in-cell technology patent was passed just weeks ago for Apple for their future devices, the iPhone and quite possibly future iPad models as well. Apple originally set the patent application in motion in 2007 before the manufacturing of said technology was possible, with manufacturers just catching up with the futuristic method for parts integration here in 2012.
Supply numbers come from Foxconn International Holdings (FIH) and also have been tied to low numbers of parts available for the production of a new mini dock connector at the bottom of the new iPhone. This mini dock connector is said – and has been shown – to have two identical sides with a total of 16 pins rather than the 30 of past iPod, iPad, and iPhone models. Have a peek at our iPhone 5 portal for more information on this future generation of Apple products, and hit the timeline below for key iPhone 5 points as well!