The clock is ticking. According to about every known source in the tech-o-sphere, Apple is planning to debut its next-generation iPhone on September 12. Moreover, rumors persist of a September 21 street date; that's only a few weeks away. Needless to say, now would not be a good time for a delay in the manufacturing chain. 

But a potential shortage of iPhone 5 screens is exactly what someone with insight to the manufacturing process has mentioned to The Wall Street Journal. According to the source, Sharp has yet to ramp up production on the new phone's LCD display.

Apparently, Apple has contracted with three suppliers for the liquid crystal displays in the iPhone 5. While Japan Display Inc. and LG Display Co. have reportedly started to ship the component to Apple, Sharp is finding the new manufacturing process a bit difficult. 

The next iPhone is alleged to feature a new in-cell LCD panel; placing the touch sensors directly into the LCD means a thinner profile. But like anything new, manufacturing the displays means a new process -- and Sharp is apparently having issues. 

Manufacturing delays aren't the only problem at Sharp, either. The company's credit was recently downgraded to "junk status" by Standard & Poor. The occasionally vilified Apple manufacturing partner, Foxconn, was set to invest an almost 10% stake in Sharp. But the Japanese company's beleaguered stock is causing Foxconn to reconsider the arrangement. The two companies were considering a $1 billion investment to increase output, according to Reuters. 

So, what's going to happen on September 21, if the iPhone hits the streets? Obviously, if the iPhone 5 follows the successful launch-sales of its predecessors, the masses will demand an awful lot of iPhones. While a delay at Sharp could present a major problem, there's no indication as to what percentage of the LCD manufacturing volume the company holds in comparison to LG and Japan Display. 

Undoubtedly, if Sharp can't get its act together, Cupertino will shift more of the load to the other two manufacturers -- or find a new supplier all-together. At least we hope, because lining up in front of the Apple store all night is a literal pain in the butt. 

Follow this article's author, Matt Clark on Twitter.

(Image credit: NY Daily News)

Read the stories that matter to you with the iPad's premier news reader

If you're an ardent newshound, this app lets you keep your finger on the pulse...

Ever since Steve Jobs first praised Pulse at the iPad’s launch event, the highly attractive app has become its news aggregator of choice. Stylish, slick and still devilishly simple to use, Pulse gathers all your news-feeds into one place, offering you a snapshot of the day’s biggest stories.

The highly customizable Pulse can pull in up to 60 individual feeds, which can be separated into five tabs or "pages" ideal for sorting into subject matter. You can choose from curated "packs" of news sources gathered by the Pulse team, flick through featured feeds from the app’s official partners or search for your own RSS feeds.

Now looking better than ever thanks to a recent Retina display update, Pulse is in no danger of becoming old news. In fact, it’s becoming an essential iOS app for discriminating news junkies everywhere.

What You’ll Need:

>> The free Pulse app

1. Search for news

When you first open Pulse you’re presented with three options: choose a pack of pre-curated newsfeeds; browse Pulse’s ever-growing catalogue of news channels; or add your own favorite news site or blog. To do the latter, click Browse The Catalogue. When the new window opens, tap the magnifying-glass icon and enter the name of the site you want to find. Hit Search and select the correct site from the list of results.

2. Organize your pages

Your newsfeeds can be organized over five or fewer pages. Click Add A Page to create new columns, one for each page. Your news sources can be easily dragged and dropped between each section. Simply press down on a column’s name to change it. Once you’re happy with your selection of newsfeeds, tap on the arrow in the top left-hand corner to be taken to the main tile view, where you can see all your sources.

3. Read the news

You can scroll up and down to see all the news sources on a page, and scroll left and right to browse the individual stories. To read the full story, click on its tiles and the article slides into view from the right. Physically turn your iPad and the story fills the screen, pushing the newsfeed to the bottom. Once you’ve finished reading the item, swipe sideways to move on to the next story or tap the tiles icon to return to the main screen.