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iPhone X Failure Forces Apple Into Drastic Action

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Once more Apple is making a deeper than expected cut to the production line of its flagship smartphone. This year that means the iPhone X, which was already underperforming in Q4 2017 is the handset that is missing its sales targets.

Details through the supply line come from Nikkei Asian Review, which suggests that iPhone X manufacturing will be cut by fifty percent this quarter. This is on top of Samsung’s reduction in OLED production for Apple’s smartphone. Apple had planned to manufacture 40 million units in Q1. 20 million now looks like a more realistic target.

As many will be rushing to point out, Apple has a habit of cutting production every quarter following the rush of the festive period, ‘so this should not come as a surprise'. Except this perhaps hides the key point to the discussion. Even though Apple’s cut is expected, that cut will have featured in the estimates of all of the suppliers. This isn’t the expected drop that was already factored in by the suppliers who understand and manage their tight margins, this is a cut in excess of the expected drop.

Canalys does not expect the iPhone 8 family, or the older handsets, to pick up the slack - their estimates are static.

You should then consider the weaker sales of the iPhone X in the run-up to the festive period. Apple’s tenth-anniversary handset is reportedly the top-selling handset for Q4 with Canalys reporting sales of 29 million units. Regarded on their own these are impressive numbers, but they are lower than market estimates. The iPhone X underperformed and there are reports of a significant drop in sales now Q1 2018 has started.

The iPhone X was in a weaker than expected position in terms of market share as Q4 ended, now Q1 has continued the bad news.

The year on year sales of the iPhone has been consistently dropping during 2015 and 2016. The lack of a big hitting success at the end of 2017 will see Apple’s share fall further, will see the competition’s combined numbers pull further ahead, and will lead to more questions about Tim Cook’s choice of direction for Apple’s smartphone.

Now read more about how the iPhone X has failed to live up to expectations…

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