14 DAY TRIAL // Apple launched the iPhone X with much fanfare, and everyone expected it to be the catalyst for the company’s major growth towards the $1 billion market value.
The most recent forecasts, however, are not at all optimistic, and now “sources from the semiconductor packaging and testing service industry” have been quoted as saying by Digitimes that sales of the iPhone X aren’t as strong as expected.
This means that following a growth to a maximum of 35 million units in the fourth quarter of the year, the iPhone X will either stay flat or drop in Q1 2018.
The report adds that sales are below expectations in Taiwan, Singapore, and even the United States, while in other markets the iPhone X is still being impacted by limited supply.
Apple Watch still selling like hot cakes
For comparison, the Apple Watch is still selling in huge numbers, with the smartwatch likely to reach 27 million sold units next year, up from the original forecast of $25 million.
Interestingly, the same report says Apple will try to respond to the decline experienced by the iPhone X with a new lineup of smartphones in 2018 that would include two OLED models and one LCD version, with a “prototype iPhone with support for pre-5G features” already in the works.
The iPhone X supply has been severely constrained in all markets after the November 3 launch due to what were believed to be production struggles caused by the complex nature of certain components like the Face ID facial recognition system. Yield rates, however, have improved substantially lately, and many suppliers are now working at full speed to bring more iPhone X units in stores to align production with demand.
Readying more stock, however, could lead to the slight decline in sales, according to today’s report, despite the iPhone X becoming available even for walk-in customers across the globe.