iPhone X finally goes on sale
Thousands queued outside Apple stores in London, Sydney, Tokyo and other cities throughout the world on Friday as eager consumers tried to buy Apple’s most expensive smartphone ever, the greatly anticipated iPhone X. The cheapest models list at £999.
Reversing the downward trend of earlier iPhone model launches, the iPhone X revived the practice of long overnight queues forming as customers vied to be among the first to own Apple’s latest smartphone.
A week ago, pre-orders of the iPhone X sold out within ten minutes amid reports that there were supply shortages of the smartphone. However, knowledgeable sources have said that supply levels for the iPhone X exceeded those for the iPhone 7’s launch a year ago, but consumer demand far exceeded supply because of the muted response to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus a month ago.
Ben Wood, Chief of Research at CCS Insight, said: “People are excited about the iPhone X, as it’s the first time in several years that there’s been a truly new iPhone. In terms of it being a status symbol, of having the latest, greatest and hottest technology in a world where technology is a personal statement about you as an individual, having the iPhone X is what many people will aspire to.”
Apple reported that consumer demand for the new iPhone was “off the charts.” Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO, said: “Production is growing every week, and that’s very, very important during a ramp period.”
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, called the new smartphone the “future” of iPhones. Its new design swaps the fingerprint scanner and home button for facial recognition technology and a full-screen display.