Report backs up claims of slow 3D sensor production for Apple's iPhone X

3D sensor suppliers for the iPhone X are "still struggling" to achieve significant output and improve yield rates, according to a report, which also reiterated expectations that the phone will be in very short supply.

Two executive sources with iPhone suppliers were "unable to offer clarity" on whether Apple will be able to meet demand after the phone's launch, Japan's Nikkei said on Tuesday. One of the people elaborated that daily iPhone X production is currently limited to the tens of thousands — likely well below what the company will need to satisfy global demand.

The claims echo ones made on Monday by KGI Securites analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera would create an obstacle to mass production.

Apple may be having trouble in general, as DigiTimes claimed that the company has asked suppliers to slow down parts shipments to 40 percent of the quantities originally planned. Nevertheless, some suppliers — possibly the 3D sensor makers — are allegedly having a hard time meeting even that quota, owing to yield rates.

The iPhone X is believed to be a difficult device to make, owing not just to the TrueDepth camera used for features like Face ID and animoji, but its edge-to-edge OLED display, interrupted by a "notch" for TrueDepth. Samsung is thought to be the product's only display supplier, being the one company with enough OLED capacity.

Preorders for the phone start on Oct. 27 ahead of a Nov. 3 launch. Some analysts, including Kuo, have suggested that mass production might only start in mid- to late October.

16 Comments

80s_Apple_Guy 291 comments · 8 Years

About 7 years ago

If true this is a mistake on Apple's part IMO. If they couldn't get the parts in sufficient quantities they should have gone with alternate tech till it was ready. I get lower demand means better pricing and interest however if a large majority or even most people can't get the phone until several months into next year that's going to get a lot of people angry.

maestro64 5029 comments · 19 Years

80s_Apple_Guy said:

If true this is a mistake on Apple's part IMO. If they couldn't get the parts in sufficient quantities they should have gone with alternate tech till it was ready. I get lower demand means better pricing and interest however if a large majority or even most people can't get the phone until several months into next year that's going to get a lot of people angry.

Ah, what alternate tech are you recommending they go to. This is tech I believe Apple via some of its acquisition developed which is the reason it works.

But wait, everyone was saying for months it was the OLED display which would be the gating item. another example of some rumor supply constraint and people assumed it had to be the display.

flaneur 4525 comments · 14 Years

80s_Apple_Guy said:

If true this is a mistake on Apple's part IMO. If they couldn't get the parts in sufficient quantities they should have gone with alternate tech till it was ready. I get lower demand means better pricing and interest however if a large majority or even most people can't get the phone until several months into next year that's going to get a lot of people angry.

I'd say it was a risky move, and it may constrain sales, but it's way too soon to say it was a mistake. That depends on the outcome months from now. And Apple is always doing risk-prone moves like this. It's what make their products so desirable.

StrangeDays 12959 comments · 8 Years

80s_Apple_Guy said:

If true this is a mistake on Apple's part IMO. If they couldn't get the parts in sufficient quantities they should have gone with alternate tech till it was ready. I get lower demand means better pricing and interest however if a large majority or even most people can't get the phone until several months into next year that's going to get a lot of people angry.

That would be a terrible idea. Alternative tech = iphone 8. The entire point of the X is this hardware. Selling what you can make now is a better option than waiting even longer, as we saw with AirPods. Waiting means not selling, not earning. “I want my boys earning!”. So what if some early adopters feel entitled to Day 1 and have to wait longer...world turns.