Apple had lofty goals for the iPhone X. The device that uses your face to unlock was supposed to be the thing that drove the iPhone back to its heights of controlling the smartphone market, instead of simply making giant piles of cash. But the iPhone X, while certainly no bomb, hasn’t been selling as Apple had hoped. And now, Apple analysts believe that the company will take the unusual step of putting a phone on the junk heap after just one year.
Apple Insider reports that analysts believe the iPhone X isn’t taking off the way Apple wanted it to in markets like China. As a result, Apple might be taking the drastic move of booting the iPhone X off shelves altogether:
KGI also expects a trio of iPhone models in the fall of 2018. He predicts the iPhone X will be “end of life” in the summer of 2018, instead of being retained as a lower-cost option in the following year. If this is the case, it would be the first time that Apple has not retained the previous year’s model to allow for a wide range of iPhones available at many price points.
If this does happen, it won’t be surprising to many. Apple never really made an argument for what problem its undeniably cool Face ID technology solved, other than the existence of Animoji. And the notch at the top of the screen supposedly made people think they were missing out on screen real estate. So, Apple will just head back to the drawing board.
Of course, this does need a grain of salt. The iPhone X is only a “failure” when you look at the standards Apple set for it. It’s still moving millions of phones and making Apple a ton of money. And Apple might well decide to stick with the phone they’ve made as a “budget” option to get people more used to the Face ID tech while searching for a use that will help it be more than a novelty. And analysts don’t believe Face ID is going anywhere, as the technology will be migrating to new iPhones next year. Still, the iPhone X may have to step aside for whatever the company has next.
(via Apple Insider)