Apple iPhone X, the redesigned iPhone with an edge-to-edge display and new facial recognition system will be available for pre-order on October 27. The flagship smartphone priced at $999 (around Rs 89,000) in India will go on sale from November 3. While the smartphone is expected to main driver for iPhone replacement this year, tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo notes that the supply will be limited until next year.
In a new research note for KGI Securities, Kuo states that Apple won't be able to match customer demand for iPhone X until at least the first half of 2018, reports MacRumors. He adds that Apple will only be able to ship 40 million units of iPhone X by the end of this fiscal year and around 90 million units in 2018. Kuo adds that iPhone X, despite its price, will see more demand than usual and due to supply constraints, there will be long wait times when preorders start next month.
Last week, Kuo had said that iPhone X production is less than 10,000 units per day and Apple's suppliers are ramping up mass production. In the recent note, Kuo mentions that Apple has delayed the availability of the iPhone X because it doesn't want to cannibalise the sales of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus iterative models. Apple has started preorders for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus and it goes on sale starting September 22.
Apple iPhone X will only be available in silver and space grey colours and comes in option of either 64GB or 256GB storage. Kuo says Apple is not adding more options or a gold colour variant like iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in order to keep a check on its supply chains. Apple might introduce a gold colour variant of iPhone X at a later date but Kuo has not outlined a definite time frame for its release.