New iPhone 'facing screen delays'

The new Apple iPhone has not even being announced but already unnamed sources are predicting that stocks will be affected by manufacturing delays.

Sharp, whose chief executive let slip last month that his company would manufacture the screens for the next iPhone, is reportedly struggling with costs Reuters has reported, citing a source "familiar with Sharp's production operations".

The next iPhone is rumoured to be thinner than previous models, in part thanks to new technology that combines the touchscreen layer with the display itself. Reports also suggest that the new iPhone will have a screen that is longer - but not wider - than the current version and that it will drop the familiar 30-pin dock connector.

The loss of the dock connector, which Apple introduced in 2003 with the third-generation iPod, will make some accessories obsolete. Earlier this week sources told the Telegraph that Apple would compensate for this by expanding its AirPlay wireless connectivity technology to allow iPhones to connect to remote speakers without the need for a LAN.

Apple is expected to hold an event in California on September 12 to announce the new iPhone. If so, the company will almost certainly issue invitations to journalists and analysts some time next week.

Initially, rumours suggested that Apple would use the same event to announce a new 7-inch version of the iPad. The so-called mini-iPad is now expected to be unveiled at its own launch event some time in October.

According to Bloomberg, the mini iPad will use screens manufactured by LG and AU Optronics. Apple is thought to be planning the mini iPad as a way of competing with Amazon's Kindle Fire - a new version of which is expected to be unveiled this week - and Google's Nexus 7, which was released in July.