Various reports have claimed that there will be an iPhone X supply shortage on its November launch, but now we have a specific number to show the severity of the problem.
iPhone X preorders are set to open on Oct. 27, with Apple's premium smartphone to start shipping on Nov. 3. Customers who are eager to acquire the device, however, should be prepared for the worst.
Only Half Of Expected iPhone X Supply To Be Shipped
According to a report by the Nikkei Asian Review, the initial shipments of the iPhone X are expected to total about 20 million units. The figure is just half of what Apple planned to release this year.
The iPhone X supply problem has been well documented. Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believed that the available supply of the smartphone upon launch will not be able to match the high demand. Kuo later said that iPhone X production issues involving the TrueDepth camera system is the cause of the limited supply, which is expected to last well into 2018.
The Nikkei Asian Review report likewise attributed the halved iPhone X supply to technical problems related to its Face ID facial recognition system. While Apple was able to solve an issue with the bonding process used for the iPhone X OLED display in July, the report claimed that the assembly of the Face ID module persisted. The manufacturers tasked with the component were only able to solve the problem near the end of September.
Apple is said to have ramped up iPhone X production to 10 million units per month. However, with the launch of the smartphone just over a week away, the report claimed that Apple will only be able to ship 20 million units of the iPhone X for 2017.
Apple In Trouble Over iPhone X
If Apple will indeed only release 20 million iPhone X units this year, it will prove to be big trouble for the company.
Languishing iPhone 8 sales have partly been attributed to customers waiting to buy the iPhone X instead or wishing to compare the two smartphones first before making a decision. A limited iPhone X supply might make customers buy the iPhone 8 instead, but there is the very real possibility that they will instead buy the flagship smartphones of other companies.
With rumors that all 2018 iPhone models will feature the OLED display and Face ID, Apple fans might even simply skip the iPhone X altogether if they become frustrated with its limited supply and simply wait for next year's iPhones.
