By: Nick Gambino
A rumor is circulating that Apple has cut their production of the iPhone X in half in response to disappointing sales over the holiday season.
Apple seemingly changed the intended iPhone X order with suppliers for the first quarter of 2018 from 40 million units to 20 million. The report comes way of Nikkei but the outlet fails to name a source. Though one can guess that a supplier offered up the info.
“The U.S. tech giant notified suppliers that it had decided to cut the first-quarter production target to around 20 million units, in light of slower-than-expected sales in the year-end holiday shopping season in key markets such as Europe, the U.S. and China,” Nikkei said.
This news drops on the heels of a report that Apple is looking at nixing the iPhone X altogether once they release their next model.
While we have no numbers when it comes to how many iPhones were sold in the last quarter, this kind of response doesn’t bode well for the iPhone X or 8. But it’s also not surprising.
The X’s price point alone is enough to kill any chance this phone had of dominating sales records. Paying north of $1000 for a base model is an activity reserved for rich people or those that live off credit cards.
The average consumer would be hard-pressed to justify a purchase like that. You can buy a used car for that kind of money. Granted, it wouldn’t be pretty but it would get you to and from work.
Another mistake on Apple’s part would be releasing the 8 and the X at the same time with no clear direction to consumers on which one they should buy. Sure, offering options sounds great in theory but it also divides attention when you can’t clearly state what the flagship product is. Sometimes consumers just need to be told “Get this one!” otherwise they won’t buy anything.
Its potential demise is pretty disappointing as the X is, in my humble and correct opinion, a superior phone from any previous model. It’s the best upgrade I’ve experienced in years. It’s fast, robust and the size of the screen certainly doesn’t hurt.
We’ll have to see what the future holds for the iPhone X but hopefully this doesn’t spell the end for this design of smartphone.
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