iPhone X could see more severe availability issues


Most iPhone upgrade cycles seem to have some kind of hitch that's anticipating constrained supplies. This year's cycle for the iPhone X could be worse than normal:

Fast Company:

Part of the problem is that the iPhone X is densely packed with lots of custom components that aren't easy to manufacture quickly. And Apple probably locked down the feature set of the iPhone X relatively late in the game, compounding the problem.

"It got right down to the wire," says Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. "They were trying to put everything they could into the thing and still make it in time for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays."

It seems weird to worry about the holiday sales if products will be back order beyond that. If you don't have a box to give, Apple will probably miss a sale, so we'll have to see about that. Also, the iPhone 8/8 Plus could relieve pressure as people compare specs and prices and settle.