14 DAY TRIAL // Apple started taking pre-orders for the iPhone X on October 27 and the device proved to be quite successful, with both available models becoming unavailable after only 10 minutes in the United States.
The incredible demand for the iPhone X, which Apple itself describes as “off the charts,” means good news for everyone involved in the making of the device, including Cupertino’s own suppliers who have until now been blamed for the constrained initial supply.
Bloomberg reports that shares of Foxconn increased no less than 3.6 percent in Taipei, while TSMC, Apple’s number one chip supplier, posted a growth of 2.5 percent last Friday. Several other partners, including AAC and Lens Technology, followed the trend with significant share increases, the same report continues.
Apple was rumored to experience issues with iPhone X supply due to a series of manufacturing problems with certain components, including the sensors powering the facial recognition cameras.
Compromised Face ID accuracy?
Apple CEO Tim Cook himself suggested that some delays were possible, explaining the company would do whatever it needs to bring the iPhone X in the hands of customers faster. With shipping times increasing up to 6 weeks for some regions, Apple is working with suppliers to reduce the waiting times, and reports in this regard coming from users who pre-ordered the device indicate that some improvements are indeed happening right now.
Recent speculation indicated that Apple reduced the requirements for facial recognition components in an attempt to produce more units faster and to tackle the constrained supply. A report from Bloomberg said Apple compromised Face ID accuracy to allow suppliers to increase yield rate and speed up production, but the company strongly denied such claims, saying that facial recognition on the iPhone X remains as accurate as initially advertised.
The iPhone X can still be pre-ordered from the Apple Store with a 6-week waiting time, but analysts expect the company to improve supply throughout November and thus substantially reduce waiting times.