Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) latest grand unveiling may have wowed gadget-heads, but, investors were seemingly not so thrilled.
Apple shares are indicated to start Wednesday’s session on the back-foot, seen down around 90 US cents or 0.55% in premarket transactions.
Won't hit market until November ...
The chief complaint is that the high-end new handsets won’t actually hit the market until November.
Many of the post-reveal headlines have centred on the new flagship iPhone X, with its market shifting new tech including the somewhat controversial FaceID biometric security.
The whopping US$999 price tag for the iPhone X was another point of scrutiny, meanwhile, the two other new iPhones (the 8 and 8 Plus) are set to retail for US$699 and US$799 respectively.
Technologically the iPhone X is obviously impressive. Apple fans have welcomed the many upgrade points for style and performance, not least the phone’s sci-fi like 3D face scan which keeps the device locked until it ‘sees’ and identifies its owner using facial biometrics.
FACE ID has the X factor ...
For futurists, the Face ID feature definitely has the X factor, but, there’s a degree of scepticism whether it will be as popular for general consumers, which may see the collection of personal biometrics as too invasive and worrisome.
Analysts, meanwhile, reckon that Apple’s recent outperformance driven by record sales and higher prices may not now stand-up, largely due to the fact that the iPhone X will be released later (it is said to be available for order in October, and for sale in November).
Prior to the launch event, Wall Street had been expecting US$86.8bn of sales for Apple’s December quarter and one analyst reckoned around 10% of the sales for the top-level phones may now slip over into 2018.