The Apple iPhone X will now be delivered within a week of being ordered, or at least the online store in the U.S. is promising so. Apple’s online store in the country is showing a delivery date of Dec. 8 for any new iPhone X. Previously, the wait time often extended up to two weeks.
Improved iPhone X ship times
According to KGI analyst Ming Chi Kuo (via AppleInsider), pushing the supply chains has resulted in improved iPhone X ship times. Kuo noted that the diversification of LCP LTE antenna orders and higher yields of iPhone’s TrueDepth dot projector supply has improved, speeding up the production.
Earlier, there were reports that the hardware associated with the complex TrueDepth camera, a groundbreaking depth-sensing array fabricated from highly sophisticated and sensitive components, was holding up the iPhone X production.
With component supply in regular flow, Foxconn is now able to produce between 450,000 and 550,000 iPhone X units per day, an increase from 50,000 to 150,000, Kuo said. Increased production would reflect in the fourth-quarter shipments, which is expected to be 10 to 20% higher than previous forecasts.
Besides the U.S., the iPhone X ship times have also been reduced in Canada and other European countries and some Asian Pacific countries also. In Canada, Apple’s online store is showing a delivery estimate of five business days, whereas the European stores have delivery dates of Dec. 11. In Australia, New Zealand and a few other countries, the iPhone X ship times are still showing several days to two weeks, notes MacRumors.
Bullish sentiments on Apple
Earlier, there were worries that the iPhone X supply would fail to match the demand, at least through 2017, and would not be any better until Spring. The recovery in the shipment time would be music to the ears of investors and analysts, who were already bullish on the iPhone X.
IHS Markit’s Senior Director Ian Fogg, and head of the mobile and telecom team, said, “Despite production constraints, in the markets where iPhone X has launched, initial uptake is very similar to adoption of previous iPhone flagship launches in the same launch period.” Fogg stated that this hints of the robust demand for the iPhone X and “is better than the rumored supply.”
IHS Markit analysts are upbeat on Apple’s performance, stating that 2018 is going to be the best year for the iPhone. Additionally, they are hopeful that the iPhone shipments would increase quarter-on-quarter for four straight quarters at least, on the back of the iPhone X launch, according to SlashGear. Talking about the Android counterparts, Fogg noted that even though they do use less complex hardware than the iPhone X, there are problems with the display in the phones like Pixel 2.
Apple meanwhile is gearing up for next year’s launch even before the excitement around the iPhone X has cooled off. Reportedly, the company is considering three iPhones next year, and is developing an in-house power management chip to increase the battery life. A report from Nikkei Asia Review, notes that the integrated chip would be “the most advanced in the industry” enabling the future iPhones to give better performance and battery life balance.
