![The phone's slow production means there won't be many units available for in-store purchase. [Image via Apple/YouTube screencap]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/26/660x290/b_502x220x82/the-phones-slow-production-means-there-wont-be-many-units-available-for-in-store-purchase-image-via-appleyoutube-screencap_1655385.jpg "The phone's slow production means there won't be many units available for in-store purchase. [Image via Apple/YouTube screencap]")
The wait for Apple's iPhone X is finally about to be over. The phone is officially available for pre-order at 12:01 a.m. pacific time on October 27. Apple is anticipating millions of people to attempt to pre-order the phone online meaning their website will be very busy. Consumers are encouraged to open the website at least ten minutes before the sale starts in order to get a better chance at making a purchase. The phone's high demand means the pre-orders will most likely sell out in minutes.
Product shortages
Although the 10th anniversary phone is Apple's most sought-after phone in years, the company has reportedly failed to have enough units manufactured.
This is due to the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera which allows for the new Face ID feature. The camera's components are so complicated to produce that Apple's manufacturers have had trouble making the amount of units they originally planned for.
The three parts in the TrueDepth camera are an infrared camera, a flood illuminator, and a dot projector which all work together to recognize users' faces. The dot projector is what sets Apple's Face ID aside from competitors' versions. It allows for 3D mapping meaning that a photo cannot trick the camera. While the feature is apparently twice as accurate as Touch ID, Apple has reportedly told manufacturers to reduce the quality in order to produce more units.
Walk-in customers
This week, Apple announced that its stores in over 55 countries and territories will have the iPhone X available on the release date, November 3. The news excited fans who aren't interested in pre-ordering the phone and risking a long wait time. However, since Apple publicly announced the news, Apple fanatics are expected to camp outside of stores.
Doors will open at 8 a.m. local time at all Apple stores on November 3 which means that long lines of people could be camping outside for the entire night. The news of the phone's limited production has made headlines for weeks, and fans who plan to buy the iPhone X in-store will certainly not risk their chances by arriving late.
Although Apple didn't say so in their official statement, stores aren't expected to have many units available. Even with their manufacturers reducing the accuracy of Face ID, Apple probably won't have more than 10 to 20 million units in total available in the first week. In an interview with Buzzfeed News, Apple CEO Tim Cook simply said "we'll see what happens."
