Apple's iPhone X suppliers 'still struggling' with dot projectors for TrueDepth camera

Apple suppliers are continuing to have trouble making the 3D sensors for the TrueDepth camera in the iPhone X, and in particular the dot projector belonging to the "Romeo" transmission module, according to a Thursday report.

The problem's persistence is backed by an anonymous tech industry executive, as well as Yuanti Investment Consulting analyst Jeff Pu, said Nikkei Asian Review. Pu predicts that the iPhone X is about to enter mass production, and will start shipping out of China in the third week of October. His personal forecast for 2017 iPhone X shipments has been reduced from 40 million to 36 million.

Multiple reports have pointed to the TrueDepth camera as the main bottleneck for iPhone X production. A late September story was the first to identify the camera as split into "Romeo" and "Juliet" components, with the former being harder to make. Nikkei's sources described "Juliet" as the camera's receiving module.

The dot projector casts over 30,000 dots on a person's face, using it to create a depth map for the Face ID authentication system, as well as animoji in Messages.

Preorders for the iPhone X begin on Oct. 27 ahead of a Nov. 3 launch. The product could be a critical test of Apple's fanbase, as the first iPhone with a $999 entry price — the top-end version will cost $1,149, more than some modern Macs.

The phone has already been spotted in public in places like San Francisco, carried by the likes of Apple workers.

26 Comments

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melgross 20 Years · 33626 comments

About 7 years ago

From what we know, it is the dot projector that's the problem. Making such a tiny thing that throws 30 thousand dots out to about 2.5 feet, in perfect alignment, must be very difficult. If it's off by just a tiny amount, by the time it gets to your face, some dots could overlap others, which is an impossible situation.

but it's not a camera. The IR camera is a totally seperate part.

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steinm88299 12 Years · 80 comments

So I can't comment whether these rumors are true or not, but if they are I assume Apple is not surprised at this. The technology is so far more advanced than traditional facial recognition that they had to know it would be a challenge. I assume they are willing to struggle for a year on iPhone X yield to get the process down so next year's iPhone releases can hit their stride with a far wider release across multiple iPhone models. Meanwhile I still see iPhone 8 models as not available in local stores so I assume they are selling those to more mainstream buyers.

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steinm88299 said:

So I can't comment whether these rumors are true or not, but if they are I assume Apple is not surprised at this. The technology is so far more advanced than traditional facial recognition that they had to know it would be a challenge. I assume they are willing to struggle for a year on iPhone X yield to get the process down so next year's iPhone releases can hit their stride with a far wider release across multiple iPhone models. Meanwhile I still see iPhone 8 models as not available in local stores so I assume they are selling those to more mainstream buyers.

They seem to be true. There are too many different sources giving the same original information.

but there was also the 40% reject rate on the OLED panels. Haven't heard anything new about that lately.

Kuyangkoh 7 Years · 838 comments

If Apple is the source then believe it, otherwise FAKE NEWS littered our world now...

Kuyangkoh said:

If Apple is the source then believe it, otherwise FAKE NEWS littered our world now...

What I find kind of sad is that Apple basically mints money and these rumors move the stock downward many times. Meanwhile cesspools like Facebook see their stock continue to rise while their core product is just selling ads and click-bait. Kind of screwy. It shows how far the stock market has drifted to nonsense trades.