Apple to slash iPhone X January-March output by half
Source: Nikkei Asian Review
January 29, 2018 7:03 pm JST (Updated January 30, 2018 2:11 am JST)
Apple to slash iPhone X January-March output by half
Disappointing holiday-season sales see target cut to 20 million units
Nikkei staff writers
TOKYO -- Apple will halve its production target for the iPhone X in the three-month period from January from the more than 40 million units envisaged at the time of its release in November.
The U.S. tech giant notified suppliers that it had decided to cut the first-quarter production target to around 20 million units, in light of slower-than-expected sales in the year-end holiday shopping season in key markets such as Europe, the U.S. and China.
The iPhone X, Apple's first smartphone equipped with an organic light-emitting diode display, has failed to catch on globally -- something many put down to its hefty price, which starts at $999 in the U.S.
Looking forward, the lackluster sales could result in a delay to the company's plans to introduce OLED screens in other iPhone models.
Read more: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Apple-to-slash-iPhone-X-January-March-output-by-half
Full disclosure: I own shares of AAPL.
This is LBN if you have any shares of an index fund in your IRA or 401(k), or if you are the beneficiary of a pension fund that holds shares of AAPL. And that's a lot of them.
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Hat tip, Apple Insider:
Apple said to be cutting iPhone X production in half due to slow sales
http://appleinsider.com/articles/18/01/29/apple-said-to-be-cutting-iphone-x-production-in-half-due-to-slow-sales
By Roger Fingas
Monday, January 29, 2018, 06:00 am PT (09:00 am ET)
Apple has reportedly told suppliers that it's dropping March-quarter iPhone X production from the more than 40 million it predicted to about 20 million, delivering a multi-billion dollar impact to the supply chain.
The phone saw "slower-than-expected" holiday sales in major markets including the U.S., China, and Europe, Nikkei said on Monday. Apple typically cuts production post-holidays, and at present it is unclear if the report is accurate as it is unsourced, or if it is so, how it compares to other seasonal cuts. ... The company is allegedly keeping a combined production target of 30 million for all other current iPhone models, such as the 7 and 8.
Though it's uncertain what would have hurt iPhone X demand, the most likely culprit is price. The device is the most expensive iPhone ever, starting at $999 for a 64-gigabyte model. A 256-gigabyte version is $1,149, more expensive than some Macs.
Much of its cost can be chalked up to an edge-to-edge, 5.8-inch OLED display, which is supplied solely by Samsung —the only company able to manufacture on the scale Apple needs. Other suppliers like LG are eventually expected to provide OLED panels, but most likely for the X's successors.
= new reply since forum marked as read
when Apple relocates manufacturing to US and the price of all Apple products doubles. 
Dow plunging now.
Who could have seen that coming? 
