Want an iPhone X? You could be waiting well into 2018 to get your hands on one, if industry experts warning over major iPhone X delays are to be believed.
Earlier this month, Apple debuted the iPhone X, a special edition handset built to celebrate the 10-year anniversary since the first iPhone went on sale in 2007. With an edge-to-edge Super Retina display and a Face ID facial recognition system, it’s miles apart from the similarly new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
But would-be iPhone X owners may struggle to secure one quickly. In a report by USA Today, several analysts are quoted as suggesting that production delays and “pent-up demand” will lead to a shortage of supply.
According to some tech analysts, the influx of orders on October 27 – the official pre-sale day – will mean some customers may be forced to wait until February or March next year. That’s well beyond the official November 3 retail release.
Credit: Apple
Jan Dawson, an analyst with Jackdaw Research said availability would commence “sometime in the first quarter”, while analyst Tim Bajarin said: “A good three-four months until the X is in wide supply.”
It may seem hard to believe that there’s so much interest in the iPhone X. After all, the phone is ludicrously expensive at £999, with the most costly model priced at £1,149. That’s well above the £699 Apple is charging for its new iPhone 8.
“We believe slow carrier promotions and relatively modest feature upgrades to the 8 are shifting demand to the X, which is a positive for Apple,” said Instinet analyst Jeffrey Kvaal, explaining the phone’s popularity.
These supposed iPhone X delays aren’t actually a huge surprise, however. For several months prior the iPhone X announcement, countless rumours circulated that suggested Apple would struggle with supply chain delays. It was (and still is) believed that the primary culprit is OLED displays, which are a new addition to the iPhone with the iPhone X.
There are only a few suppliers globally that can produce OLED screens for smartphones, and yield issues makes securing bulk orders quickly even more difficult. Hence why analysts seem certain of iPhone X delays.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is also dealing with shortages on components used in the Face ID facial recognition system.
Typically, Apple sells around 75 million iPhones in the holiday quarter of each year, due to spiking demand from Christmas shoppers – and the fact that the handsets have only just been announced. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will make up a large portion of that, but analysts believe that the 10-12 million iPhone X units expected to be produced by the end of 2017 simply won’t be enough.
It’s highly likely that we’ll see people buying up iPhone X stock early on, and then selling them for profit as Apple’s choked supply struggles to match demand. The USA Today reports that some eBay sellers are already listing the device for as high as $3,899 – around four times the retail value.
Related: iPhone 9 release date
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
