14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is projected to begin selling the iPhone X on November 3, but we’ve been hearing sources close to the matter saying that a delay to December is very likely due to the manufacturing issues that the Cupertino-based company is still struggling to deal with.
Now a report from Nikkei indicates that Apple suppliers have a hard time increasing the yield rate, as the facial recognition cameras cause particular problems due to the complex technology.
While the sources couldn’t detail the problem suppliers are hitting, it looks like the TrueDepth camera that the iPhone X will be using for facial recognition, Animoji, and other features could force Apple to hold back the anniversary model a bit longer, or as a backup plan, to launch it in limited numbers.
Rosenblatt analyst Jun Zhang says Apple is making some 400,000 iPhone X units every week, an increase from 100,000 units per week earlier this month, but it’s still slow production given the strong sales that the company expects especially in the pre-order phase and in the first days of availability.
Constrained supply very likely
The analyst says between 20 million and 50 million iPhone X units should be ready for the December and March quarters.
Previous reports indicated that Apple also experienced production issues with the display units to be installed on the iPhone X, as the company only decided at the very last minute to remove Touch ID entirely and bet all-in on facial recognition.
Apple originally wanted to embed the fingerprint sensor into the screen, but after several failed prototypes and production delays, the company decided to offer the iPhone X with Face ID only.
Mass production has thus started later than usual, and this is one of the reasons the firm now has to deal with such issues despite being only a few weeks away from the moment the iPhone X should hit the market. If the company indeed sticks with the November 3 release date, expect significantly constrained supply, especially in the first weeks on the market.