Nikkei is repeating claims of iPhone X production delays first reported last month; suppliers are apparently still struggling with ramping up yields.
Today’s report specifically pinpoints the 3D sensor components, which Apple calls the TrueDepth camera system, as the bottleneck. The news comes as an independent analyst claims iPhone X production is now at 400K a week.
Way back in September, just before the iPhone X had been officially unveiled, KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo said that OLED iPhone production was under 10,000 units a day.
The company later announced the phone with a ship date almost two months after the unveiling, presumably because of supply issues.
Rosenblatt research indicates that iPhone X production has recently increased from 100,000 units per week to 400,000 units per week.
This is a significant improvement in relative terms, but the absolute numbers are still pretty bleak, assuming they are accurate.
Apple sells millions of iPhones in the preorder period alone … and analysts believe the same will be true for the hotly-anticipated iPhone X despite higher prices. It certainly seems a good portion of ‘hardcore’ Apple iPhone buyers have skipped on the iPhone 8 series and are instead waiting for the X’s debut.
The dot projectors, which Nikkei blame for the production delays, make up part of the TrueDepth front-facing camera system in the iPhone X. The 3D sensor system enables compelling features like Face ID authentication and Animoji, so sorting out the production issues will obviously be a priority for Apple.
The Nikkei report remained confident that the iPhone X would enter mass production in mid October. Nevertheless, when the phone goes up for preorder on October 27, expect shipping delays and severely constrained supply.
