It seems like Apple's redesigned iPhone 8 with OLED display and bezel-less design may be available with limited units at the time of launch. According to Digitimes, the device's availability could be limited at launch due to poor yield rates and supply of OLED panels at assembly plants.
Apple is expected to introduce a redesigned iPhone 8 alongside the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus at its fall event in September this year. The report says that only 3-4 million OLED-based iPhones will be available for shipping at the time of launch. Analysts had initially predicted that Apple could ship around 50 to 60 million units of the new OLED iPhone by the end of this year, but it seems like that might not be the case due to issues with the supply of OLED panels.
Apple has reportedly ordered around 70 million OLED panels from Samsung's display division and the South Korean smartphone maker was expected to ship around 80 million OLED panels in the second half of 2017. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a manufacturer of Apple's custom chipsets has reportedly begun delivering A11 chipset to contract manufacturers Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron. The iPhone assemblers are said to be recruiting more workers in order to ramp up production.
Apple's rumoured iPhone 8 was initially said to be delayed until the end of this year. However, followup reports had suggested that the handset will be available at the time of launch and Apple will have enough units to address demand. Now, this new report once again hints that Apple's iPhone 8 will only be available in limited quantities at launch.