Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could end production of its iPhone X as soon as this summer following disappointing sales, according to a leak.
In a research note seen by AppleInsider, KGI securities said the 10th anniversary iPhone could be cancelled due to a lack of interest.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst for KGI , said the iPhone X has failed to have as much impact in China as it had hoped because consumers believe the device has less usable space than on the iPhone 8 Plus.
A notch containing the sensors for facial recognition and 3D scanning cuts into the top of the display.
Kuo reckons Apple will ship about 18 million of the iPhone X in the first quarter of 2018.
Apple will release of trio of new iPhone models in autumn, by which point it will cease production of the iPhone X rather than keeping it as a lower-cost option the following year, the analyst predicts.
It would mark the first time the Apple has not retained the previous year’s model.
Among the three new models Kuo expects to be release will be an iPhone X Plus model that addresses concerns about the unusable screen area.
Kuo also estimates 5% growth in overall sales during the first half of 2018.
Apple remains positive on its iPhone supply chain given the popularity of its previous 6S and 7 versions, he said.
Shares in Apple dipped 0.7% to US$178.4 each ahead of the opening bell in the US.