Fingerprint sensor issues may delay first batch of iPhone 5S shipments

　　The yield rate is not high

　　According to a report by Electronic Times, due to yield rate issues, the mass production of fingerprint sensors and LCD driver chips for Apple iPhone 5S will be postponed to the end of July. At the same time, sources said that if the iPhone 5S is to be released as originally planned, large-scale mass production of chips must begin at the beginning of this month at the latest, so this problem will cause the shipment of about 3 million iPhone 5S to be postponed to the fourth quarter of this year.

　　It is reported that the fingerprint recognition chip used in iPhone 5S was designed by AuthenTec, which was previously acquired by Apple, but the chip had a low yield rate due to design problems. However, it is not clear what the problem is with the LCD driver chip. At the same time, the source also revealed that TSMC will be responsible for Apple's chip production, while Xintec will be responsible for wafer-level packaging.

　　iPhone 5S goes into mass production this month

　　Although some parts have low yield rate, this does not seem to affect the progress of iPhone 5S mass production. According to the latest information released by AllthingsD, a technology blog under the Wall Street Journal, based on reliable information provided by insiders, Apple will plan to start production of iPhone 5S this month to prepare for the launch of the new product this fall.

　　In addition to revealing that Apple iPhone 5S will start production this month, AllthingsD also expressed optimism about the possibility of launching a cheaper version of iPhone, believing that this long-rumored low-end iPhone will be released before the end of this year. According to market analyst Peter Misek's previous prediction, the price of the cheaper version of iPhone will be set at US$300-400, and the production will be between 25 million and 30 million units.