iPhone 7 News And Updates: Will Earthquake-Hit Sony Delay Launch Of 2017 Apple Flagship?

Will recent earthquakes in Japan delay Apple's launch of the iPhone 7? New reports suggest they could.

Following the series of earthquakes last week, major companies closed their manufacturing facilities in Kuamamoto and Nagasaki, two places that have been hit by the quakes. Apple's supplier of CMOS image sensors, Sony, has plants at both these locations that were closed. This led to concerns that Apple could delay the launch of its iPhone 7.

iPhone 7 is expected to release this fall. Rumors about the specifications suggest it is unlikely to feature major design changes but will have significant hardware upgrades. One of most anticipated features of this year's iPhone is the dual-lens camera. Leaks on several websites claimed Apple could be releasing a device that features a wide and zoom lens to improve image quality among other functional enhancements of a camera. The dual-lens camera however is rumored to be an inclusion in the bigger 5.5-inch device.

With the closing of Sony's plants due to earthquakes, reports suggested Apple may have to push its plans of releasing the iPhone 7as the former is the only CMOS suppliers.

A Sony spokesperson termed the impact of the earthquake as limited and the company does not expect supply disruption thanks to inventories. The company's Nagasaki plant opened earlier this week, lending credence to its claims that a disruption is unlikely.

Research analysts also dubbed the impact of Kuamamoto plant's suspension on supplies to Apple as 'limited'.

The iPhone 7 is due for launch in September but rumors about the device began circulating not long after its predecessor iPhone 6S was launched. Some of the highly anticipated features of this year's iPhone include removal of headphone jack, thinner body and dual-lens camera.