If you’re thinking of holding off on the new iPhone X, you may want to go out and grab it while you can. According to reliable tech insiders at KGI Securities, Apple may discontinue the new model later this year. The unexpected move is said to be spurred by Apple’s refusal to lower the phone’s price tag as well as a relatively negative response from the Chinese market. KGI analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, says that the iPhone X has also failed to land users in Asia due to its incompatibility with popular Chinese applications.
In a brief conversation with The Economic Times, Kuo reiterates that Apple’s fumbling of their eastern launch is forcing the brand to rethink production on the iPhone X entirely. “This confusion, coupled with the high price of iPhone X, is thought to have undercut replacement demand,” he claimed. Kuo then went on to give a rather dreary quarterly forecast, saying that his team expects the “iPhone X will go to end of life (EOL) around mid-2018 and that total life cycle shipments will be around 62 million units.” In all, that’s considerably lower than KGI’s previous estimation which was roughly 80 million units
.Despite this bleak outlook, Kuo manages to sprinkle in a bit of optimism in his report. The tech expert, who has a strong track record when it comes to Apple insights, says that the company will see a bit of growth in the first half of 2018. This modest success comes from Apple’s iPhone 8 line, which offers two more affordable options than the model X. But before we hit the panic button, there are others who remain skeptical regarding the potential discontinuation. Either way, we’ll know for sure when Apple releases an official statement.
In related news, see what kind of smartphones Kuo thinks Apple will launch in 2018.
