Latest rumor claims iPhone 8 won't be late after all

After a recent slew of rumors pointing to this or that iPhone 8 feature being problematic, one would think that there's no way Apple's next flagship will come on time (which would be sometime in September).

But now a new note from often-accurate analyst Ming Chi-Kuo, obtained by AppleInsider, claims that Apple's latest and greatest phone won't be late after all.

According to Kuo, the iPhone 8 will be announced in September alongside two new versions of the iPhone 7, and all three devices will have the same launch date.

However, it's likely that the iPhone 8 will be in extremely short supply at first, due to Apple's supply chain being able to produce only 2-4 million units this quarter. This is pocket change for Apple which typically sells between 40-80 million iPhone units per quarter.

While it's good to hear Apple's iPhone 8 will be ready for a September launch, this isn't very far removed from previous rumors that claimed the phone will be delayed into October or November. With such a tiny supply, getting your hands on an iPhone 8 will be next to impossible for most buyers. But Kuo believes production of the iPhone 8 will quickly ramp up, with Apple ultimately being able to produce 45-50 million units this year.

On the other hand, the other two new iPhones, likely to be called iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, are already in mass production, and Apple should be able to produce 35-38 million of the former and 18-20 million of the latter.

The report did not reveal any new features of the iPhone 8 besides saying that all three new iPhones will support fast charging -- if customers dish out additional cash for a lightning-to-USB-C cable and a fast-charging wall adapter.

According to previous rumors, the iPhone 8 is expected to have a screen covering its entire face -- save for a notch on the top. There will be no home button, and (possibly) no fingerprint scanner, which will be replaced by 3D face scanning technology.