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Iphone Businesses Apple Hardware Technology

Analysts Cut iPhone X Shipment Forecasts, Citing Lukewarm Demand (bloomberg.com) 168

According to Bloomberg, analysts have lowered iPhone X shipment projections for the first quarter of next year, citing signs of lackluster demand at the end of the holiday shopping season. From the report: Sinolink Securities Co. analyst Zhang Bin said in a report Monday that handset shipments in the period may be as low as 35 million, or 10 million less than he previously estimated. "After the first wave of demand has been fulfilled, the market now worries that the high price of the iPhone X may weaken demand in the first quarter," Zhang wrote. JL Warren Capital LLC said shipments will drop to 25 million units in the first quarter of 2018 from 30 million units in the fourth quarter, citing reduced orders at some Apple suppliers. The drop reflects "weak demand because of the iPhone X's high price point and a lack of interesting innovations," the New York-based research firm said in note to clients Friday. "Bad news here is that highly publicized and promoted X did not boost the global demand for iPhone X," according to the note. Apple is said to have trimmed its first-quarter sales forecast to 30 million units from 50 million, Taiwanese newspaper Economic Daily News reported, citing unidentified supply chain officials. It also said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.'s main iPhone X manufacturing hub in Zhengzhou, China, stopped recruiting workers. The company also known as Foxconn is the sole iPhone X assembler, and also makes the handsets in Shenzhen and Chengdu.
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Analysts Cut iPhone X Shipment Forecasts, Citing Lukewarm Demand

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  • Mr. Zhang surely have good friends within China's customs office...

  • Buy your own spy equipment with FaceID and TouchID and always-on always-locating tech with your own money, not with ours.

    Besides, why would I want a bigger phone with a camera?

    Wake me when you issue the iPhone 9 SE, the iPhone 8 version intended for India and China, with a smaller form and none of the FaceID stuff I don't want.

    And forget about that Watch stuff, if I want to wear jewelry, I'll buy it myself.

    • Buy your own spy equipment with FaceID and TouchID and always-on always-locating tech with your own money, not with ours.

      Besides, why would I want a bigger phone with a camera?

      Wake me when you issue the iPhone 9 SE, the iPhone 8 version intended for India and China, with a smaller form and none of the FaceID stuff I don't want.

      And forget about that Watch stuff, if I want to wear jewelry, I'll buy it myself.

      And of course your opinion should be everyone's. Got it!

  • Unpossible! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Lisandro ( 799651 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2017 @07:34PM (#55812297)

    I was told Face ID would change everything!

    • I'm disliking face ID... it's too slow 19 out of 20 times. WAAAAY slower than Touch ID overall. And it doesn't work about 10 or 15% of the time. I've tried resetting all the data once, turned off the "look at it" feature, but no luck getting consistent results. It really irks me.

      With touch ID, you can easily learn to put your thumb in the same place each time. But with Face ID unlike touch ID, you need to have the phone and your face almost in the "perfect position" every time you want to unlock it... and t

  • by 110010001000 ( 697113 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2017 @07:37PM (#55812317) Homepage Journal
    You can help this situation by stopping by your local Apple store and purchasing multiple Iphone Xs. Only you can help Apple make its forecast. They are only $1000+ each. Have a heart this Christmas and help them out. Think of the Apple employees and their families.
    • I hear they are working on an achievement for buying Apple products. A sparkly gold star for buying 5 iPhoneX in one year!
      Next up, iPhoneX 200K HD display (ok techincally only 194.88K, but marketing likes rounding up)- line up 144 iPhoneX's in a 16x9 rectangle and use it as your big screen TV of unheard of resolution - 38976x10368. 4K HD TV's are left in the dust! ;-)

  • What? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by joh ( 27088 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2017 @07:37PM (#55812319)

    Demand after the last quarter in the year with the iPhone X being new and around Xmas will drop the first quarter of the new year? Unheard of!

    • by Anonymous Coward

      Hey genius, point is that the Apple originally expected 50M sale during the first quarter next year, but they had to lower it to 30M.

      • Which, if you go back in a time machine each of the last 3 years (at least) the same news keeps getting pushed out that Apple slashed orders of their flagship phone for CQ1, but when CQ1&2 financials come out, sales end up being roughly where expected.

        While clearly a limited microcosm, everything I see suggests pretty robust sales and consumer interest. I wouldn't expect the X to account for more than 15-20% of sales, but that is still a huge jump in ASP.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by tw2k ( 4011579 )
        No, that's not the point. Can you cite Apple predicting 50M sales anywhere? The article basically says some analyst guessed some figures at one point and has now changed their mind. You won't find out how good Apple's predictions were until you see if they met their forecast next quarter. They tend to be much better at forecasting than the analysts...
  • A $1000 phone? What exactly did they expect? There are only so many fanbois. If you want an iPhone that does the job, you get an iPhone SE. I still find that a bit pricey, but on the Android side you won’t find anything decent below that price point anyway and I like to get upgrades from the manufacturer for longer than six months. Something that is not a given with most Android phones. (The Google handsets are not available in my country)
    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      A $1000 phone? What exactly did they expect? There are only so many fanbois. If you want an iPhone that does the job, you get an iPhone SE. I still find that a bit pricey, but on the Android side you won’t find anything decent below that price point anyway and I like to get upgrades from the manufacturer for longer than six months. Something that is not a given with most Android phones. (The Google handsets are not available in my country)

      The GN 8 is a "whopping" $50 less than an iPhone X. Yet no one seems to complain about THEIR price.

      Why?

  • The habitual Apple doomsayers are claiming with zero proof that iPhone X sales are below expectation. Even if that iPhone sales are down, nobody but Apple knows how it is spread over their (currently uncharacteristically large) number of iPhone models. Apple currently sells the X, the 8+ the 8, the 7+, the 7, the 6+, the 6 and the SE. So who's to say which model production is below expectations?

    http://bgr.com/2017/12/26/ipho... [bgr.com]

    • by Tablizer ( 95088 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2017 @08:50PM (#55812675) Journal

      doomsayers are claiming with zero proof that iPhone X sales are below expectation

      The ghost of Steve Jobs says they are holding their calculators wrong.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by JoeyRox ( 2711699 )
      Zero proof? The reduced estimates are based on lower orders to Apple's suppliers. Without their parts Apple can't build phones so it's a reasonable way to gauge future demand.
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by phayes ( 202222 )

        Woosh. Absent any detail on _which_ suppliers and _which_ parts are seeing lower orders (which is NOT public knowledge it is not possible to determine which iPhone model is impacted.

        • That's why they're called anonymous sources - they're not going to reveal who they are or which parts they supply to Apple because doing so would involve reprisals from Apple.
          • by phayes ( 202222 )

            Anonymous sources say that you have been seen sexually abusing small children.

            There is a reason why anonymous sources are not used when one wants to have any semblance of reliability - something that continues to fly way over your head

            • All major journalistic outlets use anonymous sources, including the NYT, WaPo, WSJ, and Bloomberg. They have a semblance of reliability.
              • by phayes ( 202222 )

                Anonymous sources say that you enjoy torturing puppies & kittens.

                No major "journalistic outfit" [sic] uses anonymous sources without any proven reliability to determine the relative sales of iPhones nor cal thay as I already pointed out.

                • If want me to continue engaging you in conversation then you're going to need to be right about something at least once, otherwise I have nothing to learn from you and I'm just wasting my time.
                  • by phayes ( 202222 )

                    If you're going to continue posting impossible deductions from insufficient data, I'm going to continue replying telling you that you that you are wrong.

                    When reading "Anonymous sources say that someone living on JoeyRox's street has been condemned as a sex offender", one cannot deduce that JoeyRox is the pervert. You, JoeyRox, may well be a perv but that is not the point, nor is it that it came from an anonymous source, it is that here is insufficient data to identify which individual is the perv that was c

                    • The suppliers in question manufacture parts specific to the iPhone X and the report also references hiring patterns at the factory which specifically manufactures the iPhone X. That was your last chance to be useful. Goodbye - all your future replies will be ignored and unread.
                    • by phayes ( 202222 )

                      Source for the affirmation that the suppliers that furnish specifically for the iPhone X?

                      I don't give a shit whether you answer or not, joey boy. Your posts have been consistently absent of all useful information whereas I at least have been giving my references. I'm merely not letting your idiotic statements stand unchallenged.

                      The following URL gives the best analysis that I have seen so far by comparing multiple sources as well as better knowledge of the industry:
                      https://www.thestreet.com/stor... [thestreet.com]

                      In partic

    • So to combat dodgy news you link to a site that does nothing but shill for apple? This is also hardly doomsayers coming out with these predictions they are from news stories in Taiwan around the downturn in the suppliers business due to the apple reductions which are supposedly from insider (unidentified) sources.
    • The habitual Apple doomsayers are claiming with zero proof that iPhone X sales are below expectation. Even if that iPhone sales are down, nobody but Apple knows how it is spread over their (currently uncharacteristically large) number of iPhone models. Apple currently sells the X, the 8+ the 8, the 7+, the 7, the 6+, the 6 and the SE. So who's to say which model production is below expectations?

      http://bgr.com/2017/12/26/ipho... [bgr.com]

      I think the problem if it exists, is that it just came out too soon.

    • The habitual Apple doomsayers are claiming with zero proof that iPhone X sales are below expectation. Even if that iPhone sales are down, nobody but Apple knows how it is spread over their (currently uncharacteristically large) number of iPhone models. Apple currently sells the X, the 8+ the 8, the 7+, the 7, the 6+, the 6 and the SE. So who's to say which model production is below expectations?

      http://bgr.com/2017/12/26/ipho... [bgr.com]

      Precisely.

      And, BTW, I can't seem to find any sales figures in units for Galaxy Note 8 sales, yet everyone seems to say they are "trouncing" Sales of the iPhone 8. Can't find any stories about GN8 vs iPhone X sales.

      Why?

  • Gluttony is a sin (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Hal_Porter ( 817932 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2017 @07:42PM (#55812351)

    And it could be argued that spending $1000 on a phone when you can get a perfectly serviceable one for a third of that [amazon.com] is a form of gluttony.

    • Re:Gluttony is a sin (Score:5, Informative)

      by Xenx ( 2211586 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2017 @07:55PM (#55812423)
      Early adopters have historically supported development of technology so that the product can eventually become affordable. This process is no better or worse because it's a phone. You either like or dislike the new product. You either find the advancement worth the cost or you don't. There is absolutely no reason to call into question their moral standing because they don't agree with you.
      • Overeaters have supported the development of sophisticated cuisine. This process is no better or worse because it is a phone. You either like or dislike the tournedos rossini . There's no reason to call into question the fatties moral standing because they're eating it.

        Though I must admit, tournedos rossini is pretty good an the iPhoneX is an overpriced bundle of technologies that have existed for ages on Android. Even though it's expensive it's not really innovative.

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by Xenx ( 2211586 )
          First, it isn't my place to tell people what and how much to eat. Nor is it my place to attribute poor morals to their choice. Based on your attitude, I think you're a pretentious asshole.

          As for the phone, you act like flagship Android devices aren't also expensive. I am a long term Android user, and find the prices on either side have gotten out of hand. That being said, the hardware performance of the iPhone X is superior to its competition. I'm not one to put much weight on synthetic benchmarks, so feel
      • Re:Gluttony is a sin (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Misagon ( 1135 ) on Wednesday December 27, 2017 @12:45AM (#55813491)

        That's not what "early adopter" means. Early adoption is when you buy a new kind of product that is not mainstream.

        The iPhone line is now ten years old. Buying the first iPhone back in 2007/2008 would have been being an early adopter. Buying the iPhone X is jumping on the bandwagon.

        • by Xenx ( 2211586 ) on Wednesday December 27, 2017 @03:03AM (#55813813)
          If you want to argue over semantics, that is fine. Enjoy being pedantic. Flagship phones, regardless of manufacturer, subsidize part costs. Often, the features and specs of todays flagship become tomorrow mid-range. So, if you want to call it something else.. that's fine. It's still the same damn principle.
        • Comment removed based on user account deletion
          • Samsung phones have had OLED for ages.

            All Apple did was buy their displays from Samsung. And, like you say, FaceID is a bad replacement for fingerprint sensors which Apple did actually pioneer.

            You could make a case that Apple are helping Samsung drive up volumes for their large OLED displays. Thing is Samsung had OLED displays good enough for me even back in the S2 days - adding more inches and pixels doesn't really affect the quality, but it does drive up power consumption and drive down battery life which

            • by Xenx ( 2211586 )
              Early adopter doesn't mean the tech itself has to be first of it's kind. It can, and does, apply even to new configurations of existing technology in hopes of it being an overall improvement.People that are first to buy iterative updates to existing tech are still early adopters. The same process plays out over many fields. Just because you don't want to believe it applies, doesn't make it any less accurate.
            • All Apple did was buy their displays from Samsung.

              Samsung manufactures them, but it's 100% an Apple design. They are not off the shelf screens, but Samsung is very capable manufacturer.

              • Only Samsung and LG make OLEDs of that quality. And I think only Samsung does phone sized ones - they've been using OLED since the first Samsung Galaxy S phone which was released in 2010 [wikipedia.org].

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

                The first phones with non awful AMOLEDs were the Nokia N9 and Samsung Galaxy S. And I bet Nokia got their display from Samsung because the specs are so similar.

                So Apple might have specced it, but probably only Samsung could make it.

                • So Apple might have specced it, but probably only Samsung could make it.

                  Apple did more than merely spec it, they designed it. Samsung is only doing the manufacturing. It's not an off-the-shelf screen, nor is it the same as Samsung's own offerings. You're right though, only Samsung is currently capable of building them. Samsung is a superb manufacturer, but that's rather different from "they just buy them from Samsung."
                  Samsung also manufactures the Apple-designed CPU, but they had no input at all in the d

      • Early adopters have historically supported development of technology so that the product can eventually become affordable. This process is no better or worse because it's a phone. You either like or dislike the new product. You either find the advancement worth the cost or you don't. There is absolutely no reason to call into question their moral standing because they don't agree with you.

        Perfectly stated.

    • You can get a perfectly usable Samsung J1 for $100.

  • ...my next iPhone will be an 8 or 8s (depending on how long current one holds out), not a X. Uh uh, no way. Too much money, not enough differentiation between the two (facial recognition and animated poo are NOT selling points to me).

    • While the animated poo is what gets me out of bed in the morning, the screen and physical size are clear differentiation compared to the plus. Yeah, I feel stupid having paid that much for a phone... but the incremental cost to me offered value. Oh, and the company paid...

  • Are they really cutting the forecast rather than simply cutting the price?!

  • Only Apple knows for sure what they have sold so far in iPhones and how itâ(TM)s distributed among X, 8, 8 Plus, 7, 7 Plus, SE, 6s, and 6 Plus for this quarter. (Apple improves its product production ramp/forecast so they donâ(TM)t run out on products due to high demand every year.) I have been using an iPhone X for 19 days. It works great for me. I upgraded from a 6s. (Which never had any battery or crashing problems) Mainly for: better cameras, OLED screen, the A11, the relatively large screen
  • People call it a $1000 phone. Not in Canada it isn't. If I want a phone that has at least as much storage space as my old iPhone 6, and has the two year warranty, Apple wants $2,044.26 CAD after tax for it.

    If the iPhone X cost just $1000, you know what? I'd probably buy it. I'd get a two-year contract with my carrier and probably pay $500 out of pocket.

    • It’s even more expensive in Linden dollars.
    • I wouldn't be surprised that Apple will soon announce price cuts on the iPhone X. A US price of US$899 for the 64 GB model and $1,049 for the 256 GB model could happen as early as January 2018, and anyone who bought an iPhone X after December 1, 2017 couple possibly (though probably not likely) even get monetary compensation (either $100 rebate, $100 Apple Store gift certificate, or $100 iTunes card).

      • I wouldn't be surprised that Apple will soon announce price cuts on the iPhone X. A US price of US$899 for the 64 GB model and $1,049 for the 256 GB model could happen as early as January 2018, and anyone who bought an iPhone X after December 1, 2017 couple possibly (though probably not likely) even get monetary compensation (either $100 rebate, $100 Apple Store gift certificate, or $100 iTunes card).

        Why?

        The GN8, which is dog-slow compared with the iPhone X, is on $50 less expensive. Why should the iPhone X be discounted?

        Oh, I know: Because you think so...

  • As an iphone user who has used android many times and found it didn't fit my needs or lifestyle, I can tell you exactly why this happened.
    For the same reason I don't have an iPhone X... PRICE. (as everyone goes, duh, but wait...)
    It's not about the price being high, it's about the price being imbalanced. Sure, I don't agree with it being a grand, but if it is going to be a grand then they shouldn't have a damned iMac 21 inch for only $99 more...

    • As an iphone user who has used android many times and found it didn't fit my needs or lifestyle, I can tell you exactly why this happened.
      For the same reason I don't have an iPhone X... PRICE. (as everyone goes, duh, but wait...)
      It's not about the price being high, it's about the price being imbalanced. Sure, I don't agree with it being a grand, but if it is going to be a grand then they shouldn't have a damned iMac 21 inch for only $99 more...

      So, then, why should the Galaxy Note 8, which is MUCH slower than the iPhone X, be only $50 cheaper?

      And you can't put an iMac in your pocket. Miniaturization is expensive.

  • With little to no growth or mainly declining market share from hereon?
    • With little to no growth or mainly declining market share from hereon?

      Yeah, that's Apple: Proudly going out of business for over FORTY years!

  • Neither is the Samsung worth that kind of money, either. Supply and demand. soft demand + high inventory = lower prices

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