First iPhone X shipment contains less units than expected

Apple's new iPhone X is available for pre-order starting at the end of October, with its shipments set to start on the third of November. While some customers decided to opt for the iPhone 8 which is already available, most are awaiting the release of the special tenth-anniversary phone due to its brand new design. Millions of fans around the world are anticipating its release, but many allegedly won't receive their phone until next year.

A small shipment

According to Mac Rumors, Apple manufacturer Foxconn sent out the first batch to stores in Europe and the Middle East on Monday.

The company which has factories in Zhengzhou and Shanghai shipped out only 46,500 units which are a lot less than normal for iPhone releases.

Although the iPhone X is arguably Apple's most anticipated phone ever, its availability will be minuscule for a while. Mac Rumors reports that Foxconn increased its weekly production of the phone from 100,000 units to 400,000 units, but that still doesn't meet the sales demands.

Cause for delay

The phone's new TrueDepth camera technology is apparently to blame for the slow production. The technology which is responsible for the new Face ID feature is reportedly a lot more complex than any software before it. The facial recognition software will allow users to unlock their phones by simply looking at the camera.

Another one of its less anticipated features is its ability to mimic facial expressions. Users with the iPhone X will have the ability to use emojis that copy the movement of their mouth and eyes, which Apple calls "animoji."

An analyst reported to Mac Rumors that the pre-orders of the phone are expected to reach at least 40 million.

The number of units produced for the first shipment in early November will apparently be just under that. This could potentially leave millions of customers out of $1,000 as well as their new phones for months.

Despite these reports and the high price point of the iPhone X, millions of Apple fans are still expected to pre-order at the end of this month.

Sales of the newly released iPhone 8 have been slow, which is thought to be because of how many people are waiting for the special tenth-anniversary phone.

Apple has not released a statement regarding the low production of the phones, hinting that they could have a trick up their sleeve. The iPhone X will be available for pre-order directly from Apple as well from service providers like Verizon and Sprint on October 27th.