Production of the iPhone 6 has been delayed due to issues with the display

Suppliers to Apple are scrambling to get enough screens ready for the new iPhone 6 smartphone as the need to redesign a key component disrupted panel production ahead of next month’s expected launch, supply chain sources said. It’s unclear whether the hiccup could delay the launch or limit the number of phones initially available to consumers, the sources said, as Apple readies larger-screen iPhones for the year-end shopping season amid market share loss to cheaper rivals.

Components suppliers are working hard to produce sufficient displays for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6 after a last-minute component redesign disrupted production. According to sources speaking to Reuters, display production was hit after the backlight used to illuminate the display had to be revised, halting production for part of June and July. According to the report, Apple had initially chosen to use a single layer of backlight film, as opposed to the standard two layers, in order to keep the display as thin as possible. However, the resulting display wasn’t bright enough and the production was halted while it was redesigned. According to the sources, production has now resumed and the three suppliers contracted to produce the screen — Japan Display, Sharp, and LG Display — are working hard to produce enough displays. A spokesperson for Pegatron, the firm responsible for assembly of the iPhone, is reported as saying that “currently, there’s a small shortage in supply of a specialized component for our communication devices,” but that “this kind of problem regularly occurs and the impact on production is negligible.”