It appears, Wintek, one of the Taiwanese companies manufacturing iPhone 5 panels is having some difficulty. The company is reporting a "delayed bubble" defect in some of the panels they are producing for the device.
DigiTimes is reporting the defect claiming that sources say it is particularly difficult to detect during panel production, "particularly when the defect is not detected during the process of laminating touch panels, and only later found during assembly."
If DigiTimes' sources are to be believed, Wintek is producing between 20 and 25 percent of all iPhone 5 panels with TPK Holding producing 60 to 65 percent of the displays. The sources seem to believe this defect could hurt Wintek's ability to meet supply deadlines but when the blog contacted Wintek directly they were met with a statement quite to contrary, indicating that all panels would be delivered on schedule.
Difficulty producing Apple products isn't exactly a new phenomena. A few months back one of Apple's other supply partners stated that Apple products were "very difficult to make."
The timing of this defect could prove to be a bit problematic for Wintek, especially with rumors swirling that Apple will officially announce the iPhone 5 at an event on October 4th. Other rumors indicate that the company wishes to put the device out in the wild for consumers in October or early November. All of that means Wintek is running out of time to supply the panels.
If Wintek can't meet their supply demands in time it could mean one of two things. Apple could push back the launch of the device until they have sufficient supply. The other option is to bring the device to market when they originally planned but with limited supply. Hopefully Wintek will be able to deliver as promised.
