Analyst: nope, you won’t have to wait for an ‘iPhone 8’ (well, not too long)

Despite some predictions that the next generation of iPhone will ship later than the usual September time frame, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty says in a note to clients — as noted by Barron’s — that there’s a “limited risk of a significantly delayed launch” for the “iPhone 8” (shown in fanciful mock-ups).

She comes to this conclusion after visiting Asia and meeting with iPhone suppliers there. The iPhone 8 is expected to support augmented-reality functions, and those likely require special 3D-sensing components. That and the iPhone’s processor “appear to be bottlenecks that will limit initial supply, but are unlikely to delay the launch beyond the September/October timeframe,” Huberty says.

But if it is delayed, she says it will be worth it. Augmented reality (AR) is the killer application, Huberty wrote, and could help drive more upgrades and sway Android users (especially in China). She expects Apple will be the market leader in AR.