WSJ Says iPhone X's Production Issues Due to Fewer 'Romeo' Than 'Juliet' Modules - MacRumors
Skip to Content

WSJ Says iPhone X's Production Issues Due to Fewer 'Romeo' Than 'Juliet' Modules

The Wall Street Journal reports that iPhone X production issues were due to a supply imbalance of components dubbed Romeo and Juliet.

truedepth labeled
The report, citing people familiar with the situation, claims it has taken more time to assemble the Romeo module than the Juliet module, both part of the iPhone X's new TrueDepth facial recognition system for Face ID.

The so-called Romeo module reportedly includes the dot projector that beams more than 30,000 invisible dots to create a precise depth map of your face, while the Juliet module includes the infrared camera that analyzes the pattern.

Earlier this week, both KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and sources speaking with Nikkei Asian Review said the TrueDepth system has indeed been a significant bottleneck for Apple suppliers manufacturing the iPhone X.

One of The Wall Street Journal's sources said the assembly process is now moving smoothly, but the production issues add to concerns about extended shortages when iPhone X sales begin in early November.

iPhone X pre-orders begin October 27, and the device officially launches November 3.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

WWDC26 MR Live Coverage Article

WWDC 2026 Apple Event Live Keynote Coverage: iOS 27, Revamped Siri, and More

Monday June 8, 2026 9:15 am PDT by
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors is on hand for the event and we'll be sharing details and our thoughts throughout the day. We're expecting to see a number of software-related announcements today, headlined by a reset on Apple's push into AI that should see a significant overhaul...
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Tuesday June 9, 2026 11:29 am PDT by
If you pay for extra iCloud storage on your iPhone, beyond the 5GB included for free, you might receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. First, Apple said there will be daily usage limits for some of the new and enhanced Apple Intelligence features on iOS 27, including image generation. However, the company noted that "increased access" is available with "most" iCloud+ storage ...
macOS Golden Gate Mac

Apple Announces macOS 27 Golden Gate With New Siri and 'Tons' of Refinements

Monday June 8, 2026 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today announced that macOS 27 is named macOS Golden Gate. Much like Mac OS X Snow Leopard in 2009, Apple said it focused on improving macOS's performance and dozens of underlying technologies this year. Apple says macOS Golden Gate offers quicker AirDrop transfers, faster network file browsing, improved syncing in the Messages app, better Spotlight search suggestions, and other...

Top Rated Comments

jonnyb Avatar
114 months ago
“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
114 months ago
Whatever. TouchID will be back next year..
Just like the headphone jack, right? Because Apple’s not stubborn and it totally makes sense for them to backtrack on device features like that...

Honestly, if FaceID works as promised, why would you even need TouchID? There’s no added benefit unless FaceID is a total failure, and even if it is (which I wouldn’t bet on), Apple would probably throw money at fixing its issues rather than roll back their devices to what they are already treating as an inferior solution.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wanted797 Avatar
114 months ago
Whatever. TouchID will be back next year..
No it won’t.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ck2875 Avatar
114 months ago
Well at least everything worked out well in the end for Romeo and Juliet.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
114 months ago
Whatever. TouchID will be back next year..
Chances are its not, and FaceID will end up being on the iPad and Mac with in a couple years.

All iOS devices will eventually become a bezel-list device with the FaceID sensors under the display and a gesture based UI.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sunny1990 Avatar
114 months ago
The report, citing people familiar with the situation, claims it has taken more time to assemble the Romeomodule than the Juliet module, both part of the iPhone X's new TrueDepth facial recognition system for Face ID
With these delays iPhone X seems more like a 2018 Launch than 2017
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)