The iPhone X hasn't been selling as well as hoped

[SolarpunkFan]

BGR

A variety of reports have said over the past few weeks that the iPhone X isn’t selling as well as Apple had hoped. The iPhone X may have been the best-selling smartphone of the Christmas quarter, but sales momentum was apparently lost after that.

Several reports have said that Apple would cut iPhone X production this quarter. Others also claimed that the iPhone maker is considering discontinuing the phone once the 2018 replacements arrive this fall. Now, a fresh story from Asia reveals things may be even worse than we thought, at least for suppliers who live and die by the iPhone.

A report from Nikkei says that Apple will slash iPhone X production volume in half this quarter because of disappointing holiday-season sales. The combined impact on suppliers that make the components for the iPhone X will run supposedly reach into the billions of dollars.

Samsung already reduced OLED production for the iPhone X by 10%, a report said last week. The iPhone X’s OLED screen is the phone’s most expensive component, priced at $110. It’s also the reason why Apple sells the phone for $1,000 and up. Nikkei says the high entry price of the iPhone X is a likely reason for the drop in sales.

Apple planned to manufacture some 40 million units during the March 2018 quarter, the report says. But Apple supposedly notified suppliers that it’ll cut that initial estimate down to just 20 million units for the period.

Slow sales in key markets including China, Europe, and the US are apparently responsible for Apple’s adjustment. The report also notes that Apple will maintain the total production target of 30 million for the other iPhones it currently sells, including the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, but also older iPhone models.

The report says that Apple is reevaluating its LCD vs. OLED screen mix for this year’s phones. Apparently, Apple is considering an increase of LCD iPhones at the expense of OLED models. A recent rumor did say that not only will Apple discontinue the iPhone X in September, but it won’t even make a new 5.8-inch OLED version going forward. Instead, just the next-gen 6.5-inch iPhone X successor will get the OLED treatment, according to that report.

And now for some humor: https://youtu.be/sjlHnJvXdQs

[Zixinus]

Well, yes. There is a point where you cannot saturate the market any more. There is so many features you can squeeze in.

[Elheru Aran]

Well, yes. There is a point where you cannot saturate the market any more. There is so many features you can squeeze in.

This is essentially what I was thinking. At this point, unless something truly revolutionary is incorporated such as a holographic display, most new phones are only incremental improvements upon the original. From 8 gb storage to 16, rather than a quantum leap like say 8 to 128 would be, for example. And when you have multiple new phones being released every year... it starts adding up quickly to a point where it's simply not particularly worth it to upgrade your phone when the current one does everything you need it to perfectly competently.

[Soontir C'boath]

Yea, barring anything amazing in Samsung S9 series, my S8+ is doing fine and I upgraded from a piece of crap Moto G 1st Generation. At least until I have to replace the battery.

Speaking of which, Apple handled that poorly. No phone is immune to dying batteries, but no one wants their phone throttled down either. They should have offered to replace the battery as they are doing now from the start and they could've made money from selling batteries and charge for labor without issue. Instead, they are seen as nefariously making you upgrade to the next phone which in the end is true.

[TheFeniX]

Wife dropped her iPhoneWhatever, broke the screen. "Why wasn't it in the armor?" "It was overheating" Nine. Hundred. Fucking. Dollars. Later. because the $80 some-odd dollar super-armored case I made her buy to protect her $700 phone had to be taken off.

I could have bought 4.5 phones for that. And that's me spending way more money than I should for an ASUS phone.

[Elheru Aran]

And that's another thing; Apple's arseholery over their own products. Let someone else work on it? Fuck you and the horse you rode in on too. People might be okay with spending big money to get the latest phone, but spending big money to FIX it is another matter. I've got a friend who fixes phones on the side, he fixes a lot of old iPhones precisely because people aren't interested in sending them back to Apple and he charges a hell of a lot less.