It seems like RIM may not be the only one delaying its next-gen devices. According to a report from Shanghai-based First Financial Daily, Apple’s release date of its iPhone 5 could also be on the slide to later.
The report claims the delay may come due to high-end 28-nanometer fabrication chips used in the device being “in short supply.” Qualcomm, the leading chip supplier for Apple, will reportedly be able to assuage the shortage by the end of this year according to a spokesman for Qualcomm China. The problem arose during the second quarter of this year, as demand for 28nm chips has been growing alongside the popularity of smartphones.
Apple has yet to confirm or deny this information (and thus we are filing it as a rumor), but if this does indeed prove true and the company does delay the iPhone 5, it may give the 10-million-plus selling Samsung Galaxy S III an even stronger foothold in the mobile marketplace, and make the delayed launch of the BlackBerry 10 OS appear less significant.