14 DAY TRIAL // It’s not a secret that Apple has been trying to deal with slow production and low yield rates for the iPhone X for several times now, but it looks like in order to bring more units to the market faster, Cupertino has made a call that could prove to be a double-edged sword for the firm.
A report from Bloomberg reveals that Apple decided to lower the specifications of its Face ID sensors in order to allow its suppliers increase production and ready more units in anticipation of the big launch on November 3.
It was estimated that only up to 3 million iPhone X would be ready for day one, and several components, including the Face ID sensors, were said to be responsible for the very slow production.
Bloomberg’s report claims that Apple “quietly told suppliers they could reduce the accuracy of face-recognition technology” in order to boost yield rate and production speed.
Compromised accuracy
Apple originally claimed the Face ID accuracy was 1,000,000:1, substantially higher from 50,000:1 for Touch ID fingerprint reader, but after the cut in accuracy, it’s not yet clear how dramatically the technology is being impacted.
Apple made the decision to lower its specification earlier in the fall after Finisar, one of the suppliers building the components, abandoned production because it couldn’t meet Cupertino’s requirements.
Production is currently handled by Sharp and LG Innotek, both of which have struggled to meet Apple’s specifications, but who also suffered from very low yield rates that at some point dropped to 20 percent.
Face ID is a risky bet for Apple, as it’s the only authentication security feature on the iPhone X after the removal of the fingerprint reader. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak himself expressed his skepticism towards Face ID, pointing out that he’s not sure this feature is going to work exactly as the company expects it to.
The iPhone X will go on sale on November 3, and expect more information on facial recognition, including its accuracy, to become available shortly.