Apple’s had a rough month, catching heat for intentionally slowing down iPhone batteries and shipping products containing bugs with worrying names like Meltdown and Spectre. The Cupertino institution has just suffered another blow, it seems, with a leaked research note obtained by Apple Insider indicating that the company will soon cease production of its latest flagship, the iPhone X.
A Forbes article on the leak, which has been analyzed by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, says that the decision to stop production is related to the iPhone X’s poor performance in China:
Kuo, who has a long track record successfully revealing Apple’s plans, said lack of interest in China is the main reason. In China big screens are king and the iPhone X’s polarising “notch” is seen by Chinese consumers as removing too much usable space. Especially when the cheaper iPhone 8 Plus actually delivers slightly more.
Related:
The Forbes article quotes Kuo’s belief that the iPhone X will cease production by summer 2018, and notes that this “would be the first time Apple has canceled an iPhone model after just one generation since the iPhone 5C in 2014.”
In China, Apple is facing ever stiffer competition — just yesterday we referenced a new consumer report indicating that domestic brand Huawei has just surpassed Apple as the “most recommended” smartphone brand in China for the first time:
It’ll be an uphill battle for Apple from here, as Huawei solidifies its market position against both the US incumbent and their main competitor, Samsung, against which Huawei has recently won a string of patent battles.
