28nm Chip Shortage May Lead to iPhone 5 Delay

If you're one of the many people stuck in a smartphone holding pattern as you wait for Apple to announce (and launch) its upcoming iPhone 5 model, go ahead and get cozy. Reports out of China suggest Apple may delay the iPhone 5 as a result of a shortage of 28 nanometer chips.

This isn't the first time such rumors have manifested, so take it with a grain of salt. That said, the current concern is that Qualcomm, which is Apple's largest chip supplier, is trying to get a handle on 28nm chip production and won't have the shortage resolved until the end of the year. If that's the case, it could put a damper in Apple's ability to launch the iPhone 5 in September or October.

Apple iPhone 4S

What's bad news for Apple is good news for Samsung and every other company competing in the smartphone space. Samsung in particular would benefit from an iPhone 5 delay, as it's already the world's leading smartphone maker, having sold an estimated 10 million Galaxy S III devices alone in the last quarter.