TrueDepth Camera System is Primary Reason for Slow iPhone X Production

Following a report claiming Apple's suppliers are shipping only about 40 percent of the components originally planned for initial production of the iPhone X, a new report suggests the TrueDepth camera is the primary bottleneck.

truedepth
The word comes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said the facial recognition system is "far more complex" than those on competing devices, which is making it challenging for Apple to achieve mass production.

An excerpt from Kuo's research note obtained by MacRumors:

TrueDepth camera may be main production bottleneck of iPhone X ramp. The 3D sensing (TrueDepth camera) on iPhone X is composed of a structured-light system, time-of-flight system and a front-facing camera, which represents a far more complex structure than those of rivals. It will therefore be harder to achieve mass production. While we project iPhone X will see output ramp up meaningfully in mid/ late October, tight supply may only start to ease in 1H18F due to strong demand.

Kuo said shipments of iPhone X components will likely ramp up in mid to late October. Given pre-orders begin October 27, with in-store availability starting November 3, all signs point towards the iPhone X being in extremely short supply.

Kuo believes iPhone X pre-orders have the potential to exceed 40-50 million units, so it's clear the device won't achieve supply-chain balance for quite awhile.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

BulkSlash Avatar
85 months ago
Presumably if I pre-order early on the 17th I'll get one a few weeks before the iPhone 11 launches?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
85 months ago
doesn't apple have like $200 billion in the bank? like jesus christ buy some factories, companies, or whatever to get production what it needs to be smh
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vannibombonato Avatar
85 months ago
40-50 million of PreOrders would honestly be just insane. We're talking 40-50 Billions of sales....

It'll be a hell of fun this year to watch the launch day crazyness, scalpers, etc.
[doublepost=1506350259][/doublepost]
doesn't apple have like $200 billion in the bank? like jesus christ buy some factories, companies, or whatever to get production what it needs to be smh
That is like saying "hey, why Samsung can't just go out and buy someone who can make a phone better than the iPhone?"

At the moment they are probably the only ones on earth who have the know-how to manufacture the thing. They are probably literally learning how the thing can be made, there's no manual for this type of stuff. They can't just hire an expert, they are the experts.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
questionmark32 Avatar
85 months ago
Something must have happened where they decided later than normal that they wanted to do Face ID over Touch ID. The fact that the couldn't get Touch ID underneath the screen forced them to use their backup technology that they may have been planning for future iPhones, but not for the X
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jiggad369 Avatar
85 months ago
Money can’t overcome physics. If something is hard to make correctly, sometimes you just have to take your time.
Wrong forum for logic.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sowa Avatar
85 months ago
So get this, the design model that should of been the choice for ALL the iPhones this year is delayed due to a "feature" literally no one wanted or asked for.
LOL
Before the iPhone, nobody wanted the iPhone...
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...