Apple May Only Receive Half Of Expected iPhone X Shipments During 2017
However, reports coming from channel partners reveal that Apple might not have a sufficient enough supply of its flagship smartphone for the remainder of 2017. According to the Nikkei, Apple will receive about 20 million iPhone X smartphones though the end of the year, which is half of what the company expected. Given the pent-up demand for this 10th anniversary iPhone, this could be bad news for those looking to get their hands on the smartphone during the holiday shopping season.
While there were some initially teething problems with the OLED panels -- which are produced by Samsung -- used in the iPhone X, the main constraint with production now appears to be with the camera components used for Face ID. Face ID is used to authenticate a user by scanning their face and matched a user's stored facial data stored within the device. Face ID replaced the Touch ID fingerprint recognition system found on all iPhone models released since the iPhone 5s.
Nikkei reports that Apple's fortunes could change, with the publication writing that the company "is believed to have already started negotiations with other manufacturers over additional production of certain parts, and there is a chance that output volumes could improve rapidly."
Earlier today, we reported that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is going to sit on the sidelines instead of purchasing an iPhone X at launch. "I'm happy with my iPhone 8 — which is the same as the iPhone 7, which is the same as the iPhone 6, to me," Wozniak remarked. "For some reason, the iPhone X is going to be the first iPhone I didn't — on day 1 — upgrade to. But my wife will, so I'll be close enough to see it."
