iPhone X

Apple’s chief operating officer Jeff Williams has said that the company no longer needs to trade-off performance against battery-life in its A-series chips.

Williams is reported to have made the statement at a forum hosted as part of the 30th anniversary of Apple chipmaker TSMC …

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Apple today announced that, despite production concerns and struggles, the iPhone X will be available in retail stores for walk-in customers on Friday, November 3rd. Some had speculated that initial orders would be limited to online only.

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If you’re wondering whether your car’s wireless phone charger will work with this year’s iPhones, an Apple support document has the answer. It lists 14 brands whose chargers will work with the iPhone 8.

Although Apple doesn’t yet list the iPhone X, the same chargers should work, though there are a couple of provisos to note with both the iPhone 8 Plus and four of the car brands …

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A survey of more than a thousand iPhone owners across the US, UK and China found that 48% of them were excited about the iPhone X, and about a quarter of them plan to order one.

Reuters reports that the survey was carried out by brokerage firm Bernstein …

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Nikkei is reporting that Apple will be able to ship just 20 million iPhone X units in 2017, half of what the company originally planned to make, due to production issues and component delays. KGI previously stated that 2-3 million units would be available for the launch on November 3.

Repeating previous reports, Nikkei blames quality issues with the TrueDepth camera system components as the reason for the low shipments.

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Buzzfeed briefly interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook and retail head Angela Ahrendts at the recent opening of the new waterfront Chicago store, with Cook discussing augmented reality, rumors of his successor, and making a one-sentence comment on iPhone X availability.

Cook thinks AR is going to be as big in the future as mobile apps are today …

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Update: Unsurprisingly, video has now been pulled from YouTube. Reupload embedded after the jump.

YouTuber Brooke Peterson uploaded a video to her channel documenting her trip to Apple’s campus, where her father appears to be an employee and is carrying an iPhone X.

The video includes several minutes of hands-on time with the iPhone X from within Caffè Macs, probably our best look yet at the device in action …

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As we reported last week, Apple recently noted that it would be giving a head start to its iPhone Upgrade Program customers for the iPhone X upgrade process. Now, existing iPhone Upgrade Program members can use the Apple Store App to gain pre-approval for the iPhone X and be ready to checkout as fast as possible on October 27.

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A Bloomberg piece points to weak sales by several key Apple suppliers, and suggests this is evidence that the iPhone maker has lost its famed supply-chain management expertise.

Thanks to Taiwan rules requiring the disclosure of monthly sales, we can track endemic weakness at its exclusive processor maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and primary assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.

Columnist Tim Culpan argues that with the iPhone X, Apple let its desire for innovation get ahead of its ability to source the necessary components …

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Purchase data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests that the iPhone 8 is selling in smaller numbers than an ‘S’ model.

The company says that the iPhone 8/Plus accounted for just 16% of all iPhone sales in the past quarter, against 24% for the iPhone 6S/Plus …

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As previously rumored, Economic Daily News today reports that Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams had a meeting with Foxconn CEO and chairman Terry Gou in Taipei.

‘Market participants’ familiar with the matter would not disclose details of what was discussed but we would expect production of iPhone X to be a key topic. On Friday, KGI said just 2-3 million iPhone X would be ready to deliver to customers at launch.

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We’re fully expecting the iPhone X pre-order and launch period to be chaotic, and Apple wants its iPhone Upgrade Program members to have the smoothest experience possible. For that reason, Apple is pushing IUP members to ‘get a head start on your upgrade to iPhone X’ starting Monday, October 23, ahead of pre-orders on Friday, October 27.

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Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts doesn’t want you to buy an iPhone X if it’s not for you, as long as you’re buying any other iPhone that is. In a new video interview held at Apple’s new Michigan Avenue flagship store in Chicago, Ahrendts discussed Apple’s retail strategy of not up-selling all customers to the iPhone X when it hits stores in two weeks.

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Apple COO Jeff Williams will reportedly visit TSMC this month for the suppliers 30th anniversary. While Williams is traveling, he is also expected to discuss iPhone X production issues with Foxconn chairman Terry Gou.

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The $64,000 question of the moment seems to be: How well (or badly) is the iPhone 8 selling?

We’ve been hearing conflicting answers. A KGI report stated that the iPhone 8 Plus, at least, was selling better than expected. Foxconn financials also seemed to support that idea.

But there have been more negative reports than positive ones. AT&T said that it had seen almost 1M fewer upgrades this year. A carrier store survey suggested more people were buying last year’s iPhone 7 than the iPhone 8. A major Canadian carrier said iPhone 8 sales have been anemic. And a supply chain source claims that Apple has ordered its iPhone 8 suppliers to cut production in half.

I tend to side with those who think the iPhone 8 is selling poorly. But far from considering that bad news, I think it’s a clear indication that iPhone X sales are going to be far better than expected …

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With iPhone 8 now on sale, all eyes are on the upcoming iPhone X. A morning report from KGI reiterates production issues we’ve been hearing about the iPhone X, indicating that only 2-3 million units will be shipped for sale before the launch on November 3rd (preorders open a week from today).

KGI points to supply shortages for several components including circuit boards for the iPhone X antenna and wide angle camera, and the depth-sensing Infrared dot projector.

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) says that it expects its revenues to grow by 10% during October to December, as the iPhone X goes on sale. It follows 28% growth in August in the run-up to the iPhone 8 launch.

TSMC is believed to be the sole supplier of the A11 chip used in this year’s iPhones, just as it was for the iPhone 7, and the company appears confident of fending off future competition from Samsung …

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