The iPhone OLED panels required for Apple’s 2017 smartphone lineup could be in even shorter supply. The reason: Apple’s rivals plan on stopping the iPhone maker from monopolizing OLED supply capacity.

According to sources in the Taiwanese supply chain, “China-based smartphone vendors, and others alike, have rushed to secure production capacity for small- and mid-size OLED panels, a move which will definitely cause a shortage in OLED panel supplies in 2017.” They continue: Inspired by market rumors indicating that Apple will adopt OLED panels for its next generation iPhone devices in 2017, China-based smartphone vendors, and others alike, have rushed to secure production capacity for small- and mid-size OLED panels, a move which will definitely cause a shortage in OLED panel supplies in 2017, commented the sources.This isn’t the first we’ve heard that OLED panels could be in short supply in 2017.

In December, Bloomberg explained that Mitsuke, Japan-based Canon Tokki Corp. has a near monopoly on the machines that are capable of making OLED. The current lead time for the machines, which cost up to $85 million each, is two years.

The upcoming 5.8-inch “iPhone 8” is expected to feature an AMOLED display from Samsung. The 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch “iPhone 7s” models are likely to keep the LCD found on the company’s current models.

Apple’s 2017 iPhone lineup is likely to be announced in early September soon after Labor Day in the United States. The lineup will represent the 10th anniversary of the first iPhone, which Apple launched in June 2007.

The global handset industry could see also shortages in memory products and optical sensing devices, thanks to the rise of China-based brands like Oppo and Vivo.

Source: appadvice