iPhone X sells out in minutes
The most expensive Apple smartphone to date, the iPhone X, went on pre-order on Friday morning. Within ten minutes, it sold out.
The 64GB models list at £999, while models with 256GB of storage cost £1,149, which is more expensive than the starting price of three of the company’s computers.
Even with its hefty price tag, Apple’s flagship smartphone has high demand. The server powering Apple’s online store experienced performance problems as soon as pre-orders launched, and the first pre-order supply of iPhone Xs set aside for delivery on 3rd November sold out in the UK by 8:10am. Within an hour, the wait time for fulfilling pre-orders lengthened to one month.
The rapid sell-out of the iPhone X may mean some bad news for Apple. The company reportedly faces major supply constraints for the smartphone, with the Nikkei Asian Review saying that its annual production for the iPhone X will only be 20m units rather than the 40m units originally planned. Bloomberg claimed that Apple had to cut some quality control measures from the phone’s production line to ensure an adequate supply. Apple issued a denial of the report, saying that the claim that it has reduced the Face ID accuracy spec is “completely false.”
Apple still expects to have all iPhone X models available at its stores on the release date of 3rd November, but it said that customers should “arrive early,’ suggesting that only those who queue up early in the morning will get a handset.
Three, EE and Vodafone all said that the iPhone X will be available on the launch date, but O2 customers can expect a four-week wait.