Rotten Apples?

[Guest]

Apple (-0.62%) is facing production issues with the iPhone X—and that spells trouble as it races to satisfy the Genius Bar wannabes already lining up around the block. 

It’s (actually) a Shakespearean tragedy

There’s a bottleneck involving the parts that comprise the much-anticipated facial recognition technology. But Apple has managed to keep things romantic by naming these modules Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is the one shooting red beams to map your facial structure, while Juliet’s the one interpreting the data. 

The problem? Romeo parts (produced by LG Innotek and Sharp) are taking longer to build than the Juliets…forcing Tim Cook to asketh: wherefore art thou Romeos?

These supply issues won’t surprise anyone who’s been following Apple this summer, which has also encountered delays sourcing its new OLED displays for the X. 

If Apple can overcome these snags (which it’s shown the ability to do), the iPhone X will launch in 55 countries and territories on November 3. But that’s still much later than the September launch of the iPhone 7, and most consumers will have to wait until Q1 2018 to get their hands on the X. 

But this hasn’t been Apple’s only headache

We’ll be the first to admit: we were suckers for the new Apple Watch Series 3. Forty million songs on your wrist? Great. LTE connectivity allowing you to take calls without a phone? Even better. 

Issue is, the LTE doesn’t seem to be working as promised. Multiple reviews from early testers reveal connectivity issues in different states and with different carriers. And when the watch could scrap together a few bars, the battery performed no better than an OG iPod (maybe a little better). 

Still, Apple’s no stranger to missteps prior to a big release. Remember the Great Foxconn Bamboozle of ‘14? Or the Unspeakable iOS 6 Maps Snafu of 2012? It’ll dig itself out like it always does, and we’ll all be using the iPhone X and wearing the Apple Watch in no time.

- Morning Brew