iPhone 5S Might Be Delayed Due Production Challenges With Fingerprint Sensor [Rumor]

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Even though the iPhone 5 was launched in October of 2012, many analysts and pundits believe that Apple will likely release the iPhone 5S sometime this summer.

KGI Securities analysts Ming-Chi Kuo thinks that you shouldn’t get your hopes too high for a new iPhone though. In a report he released today, Kuo claims Apple is facing production problems on both the iPhone 5 and cheaper iPhone and that they won’t launch until Q3 of 2013.

There is probably nothing I hate more with Apple news than analysts making silly claims without any actual sources, but Ming-Chi Kuo has been fairly reliable in the past, so he’s worth listening to with an ear of skepticism.

According to Kuo, the iPad mini 2 has also been delayed, so all three products will be launching later than he originally forecasted. Kuo states that the iPhone 5S, cheaper iPhone, and iPad mini 2 won’t ship by July, but he also doesn’t give a firm target date for when to expect models.

Part of the problem with the iPhone 5S products lies in the rumored fingerprint sensor that Apple is adding. Finding the right color coatings to prevent interference with the sensor has been an unforeseen challenge, but after the fiasco of the original white iPhone, we’re not all that surprised.

Along with the delays on the physical production of the iPhone 5S, we’ve also heard that Apple’s been hard pressed to get iOS 7 finished in time. Thanks to the significant changes pushed by Jony Ive, Apple has pulled engineers off of OS X 10.9 to help get iOS 7 finished by this summer. Last year, the iOS 6 beta was revealed months before the iPhone 5, so keep in mind that Apple doesn’t necessarily need to finish the iPhone 5S by the time iOS 7 is ready.

 

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