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The controversy
The Apple brand has been synonymous with innovation for the past decade. Every new release of the iPhone seems to garner a cult following, despite no major changes to the basic design of the phone (except for the possible switch from 30-pin to 8-pin and removal of the headphone port).
The current iPhone controversy centers around the fingerprint sensor.
Despite flagrant rumors, and a few false design leaks, Apple is not currently considering moving the fingerprint sensor to the rear of the phone.
Where will the sensor be placed?
While this seems to be a sound design choice, they are still having technical trouble deciding exactly how to effectively implement the front fingerprint sensor. According to Madison.com, a research note from an analyst at Cowen and Company, Timothy Arcuri, states Apple is currently deciding between “three potential implementations.”
The three choices include: “Thinning the cover glass for the fingerprint area (cover glass cutout), creating a pinhole through the glass for optical or ultrasonic fingerprint sensing, or, replacing the AuthenTec Touch ID with a ‘film’ fingerprint sensor that is integrated with the display.”
Rumor mill
Part of the struggle may lie in another rumor, that the iPhone 8 will feature a bezel-less design.
Instead, rumors say the iPhone 8 will come with a polished stainless steel metal frame, and an all glass front, possibly with curved glass on top (similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8). If this particular rumor is true, it could explain why the implementation of the fingerprint sensor is proving difficult.
Also, rumors say that Apple has planned to remove the physical “home” button from the iPhone 8 to accommodate the edge-to-edge screen and since this button previously housed the fingerprint sensor, Apple may be having difficulty revamping this element of the design, especially given the additional rumor about the change to the display.
Many analysts have stated that Apple plans to change their trademark IPS LCD displays for a TrueTone OLED display.
If this is true, it could again, explain why they are struggling to implement that sensor in both an aesthetically pleasing and technically useful way.
A change in sales?
While this may not sound like Earth-shaking news, it has the potential to delay shipments of the beloved device. Arcuri states this delay could be one or two months, or as long as early 2018. This could be frustrating for some customers who rely on the timely release to upgrade around the holiday season.
However, if Apple proactively takes pre-orders earlier than usually, customers may not notice the delay (as much). This could mean fewer people upgrade to the iPhone 8 and may choose instead to opt for a more economic iPhone model, which could in turn damage sales of the newest model.
What do you think: will the delay of the sensor placement damage sales or will iPhone lovers simply adapt to the delay?
