Will Apple actually start selling the iPhone 8 this 2017? Rumors have it that while the next iPhone refresh will take place as scheduled, September this year, the most premium of the new models will not be on store shelves until early next year.

It appears that mass production of the iPhone 8 is being bogged down by "component shortages and technical challenges," Cult of Mac reported, pointing to the latest research note from Deutsche Bank. The report is in line with recent supply chain reports that indicated manufacturing partners of Apple are encountering difficulties, specifically with the OLED panel and 3D sensing technology that will be exclusive step ups for the iPhone 8.

If the production challenges were not addressed quick, the chance is high that Apple will be forced to delay the iPhone 8 commercial debut. The same report said would-be buyers will need to wait until January next year to get their hands on the device, which is seen to boast of radical redesign or a handset profile that is entirely different from the current models.

Likely, it will only be the iPhone 7S series that will start selling following Apple's September 2017 introduction. The refresh is said to be nearly identical with the iPhone 7 series, hence the mass assembly is expected to proceed smoothly.

In contrast, the iPhone 8 is widely speculated to jump out of the box bearing a reengineered body design. The casing is said to be a mix of glass material - on the front and rear panels - and stainless chassis. Aside from having a bezel-free display, the handset is also rumored to eliminate the physical control keys, and in their place there will be virtual buttons powered by 3D sensors.

These intricate feature upgrades likely explain the rumored production difficulties being attributed to the iPhone 8 and the likelihood that that the device rollout will be pushed back.

Meanwhile, Apple has admitted that sales performance of the current iPhone models is on the downtrend, MacRumors said. The tech giant blamed the rumors generated by the next iPhone release that likely prompted many shoppers to wait out for the refresh and delay their buy decision.

If the slide continues, it will certainly impact on the iPhone overall sales performance in the few quarters ahead, which should prod Apple to work hard on avoiding the rumored delay on iPhone 8 release date as mentioned above.