If you were looking to get your hands on an iPhone X during pre-orders today, you needed to be quick.
Pre-orders for Apple’s latest flagship smartphone launched today at 8am BST (3am ET/ 12am PT), but experts warned of a ‘catastrophic stock shortage’.
The iPhone X was announced at an exclusive media event in September and the much-hyped devices are expected to ship on November 3.
An inside source warned that a ‘chronic lack’ of iPhone X handsets available worldwide after launch would see many unable to get hold of one until 2018.
And it seems they were right, with the highly anticipated smartphone selling out just minutes after pre-orders opened.
Pre-orders for Apple’s latest flagship smartphone launched today at 8am BST (3am ET), but experts have warned of a ‘catastrophic stock shortage’. An inside source has warned that a ‘chronic lack’ of iPhone X handsets will see many unable to get hold of one until 2018
The source, reportedly from a popular phone retailer, had some advice for those looking to get their hands on the £999 ($999) device before Christmas.
‘Our advice would be to pre-order as soon as possible if they want the new iPhone,’ the source told techradar.
‘It is highly likely to sell out very quickly and we know that some retailers and networks have only been assigned a tiny number of the handsets. A tiny number.
‘Maybe it’ll be into January or February before there is enough stock to go round,’ they said.
While iPhone X preorders may have now sold out, the firm is expected to have limited stock in its stores worldwide when the device releases on November 3rd.
The iPhone X will also be available to buy on Apple’s website and through mobile service providers, though there is expected to be high demand for limited handset numbers.
In the UK, these providers include Vodafone, Three and EE.
T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon will all sell the iPhone X in the US, as will major retailers like Target and Best Buy.
Pre-orders for the device launched just three days after Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak suggested he wasn’t impressed with the £999 ($999 in the US) device.
In a new interview, Wozniak said he won’t be buying an iPhone X on ‘day one’, and instead claimed he is happy with his iPhone 8.
Wozniak expressed concerns about whether the Face ID feature, which allows users to unlock their device just by looking at it, would work.
Wozniak was speaking from the sidelines of the Money 20/20 conference in Las Vegas this week when he made his opinion on the iPhone X known.
He said: ‘I’d rather wait and watch that one.
The source, reportedly from a popular phone retailer, has given advice to those looking to get their hands on the £999 ($999) device before Christmas. They recommend pre-ordering as early as possible to ensure they get hold of one of the limited devices
The device – which is is dust and waterproof at a microscopic level – is available in space grey and silver. It features a glass front and back, with a band around the edge made from surgical grade stainless steel, as well as an edgeless display
| Specification | iPhone X | iPhone 8 | iPhone 8 Plus | Galaxy Note 8 | Galaxy S8 | Galaxy S8 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.8 inches | 4.7 inches | 5.5 inches | 6.3 inches | 5.8 inches | 6.2 inches |
| Resolution | 2436 x 1125 | 1334 x 750 | 1920 x 1080 | 2960 x 1440 | 2960 x 1440 | 2960 x 1440 |
| Processor | A11 Bionic | A11 Bionic | A11 Bionic | Snapdragon 835 (2.35GHz and 1.9GHz, octa-core) | Snapdragon 835 (2.35GHz and 1.9GHz, octa-core) | Snapdragon 835 (2.35GHz and 1.9GHz, octa-core) |
| RAM | 3GB | 2GB | 3GB | 6GB | 4GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB, 256GB | 64GB, 256GB | 64GB, 256GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| Rear camera | 12 megapixel, 12 megapixel (wide) | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel, 12 megapixel (wide) | 12 megapixel, 12 megapixel (wide) | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
| Front camera | 7 megapixel | 7 megapixel | 7 megapixel | 8 megapixel | 8 megapixel | 8 megapixel |
| Battery | 2,716mAh | 1,821mAh | 2,691mAh | 3,300mAh | 3,000mAh | 3,500mAh |
| Water protection | IP67 | IP67 | IP67 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Weight | 0.38 pounds | 0.33 pounds | 0.45 pounds | 0.43 pounds | 0.34 pounds | 0.38 pounds |
| Dimensions (in.) | 5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 | 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 | 6.24 x 3.07 x 0.30 | 6.40 x 2.94 x 0.34 | 5.86 x 2.68 x 0.31 | 6.28 x 2.88 x 0.31 |
| Starting price | $999 | $699.0 | $799.00 | $930 | $749.00 | $849.00 |
| Misc. | Face ID scanner | Wireless charging | Wireless charging | S Pen, Iris scanner, USB-C, wireless charging | Iris scanner, USB-C, wireless charging | Iris scanner, USB-C, wireless charging |
‘I’m happy with my iPhone 8 — which is the same as the iPhone 7, which is the same as the iPhone 6, to me.
‘For some reason, the iPhone X is going to be the first iPhone I didn’t — on day one — upgrade to.
‘But my wife will, so I’ll be close enough to see it.’
Wozniak remained at Apple at Apple for nine years, before leaving the company in 1985.
His co-founder, Steve Jobs, was keen to grow the company, Wozniak was happy to keep it small, and having made his fortune when Apple went public in 1980, he made the decision to leave.
One of the biggest changes is the lack of home button, which was one of the most widely-discussed rumors in the months leading up to the launch
Apple unveiled its souped-up ‘anniversary’ phone, the iPhone X, at an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, last month.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, took to the stage of the Steve Jobs Theatre at Apple’s new Apple Park ‘spaceship’ campus – widely considered to be the final product designed by Jobs, who died in 2011.
Cook said: ‘Our teams have been hard at work for years on the future of the smartphone.
‘Now, ten years later it is only fitting we are here, in this place on this day that will set the path for for technology for the next decade.’
The new iPhone X (centre), pictured among the iPhone 8 (right) and iPhone 8 Plus (left)
To unlock the phone, users can use facial recognition, which Apple calls Face ID. It will ‘learn’ your face, so every time you glance at the iPhone, it detects your face – even in the dark
The phone features a glass front and back, with a band around the edge made from surgical grade stainless steel, as well as an edgeless display.
The iPhone will be dust and waterproof at a microscopic level.
iPhone X has an all new display, called the ‘super retina display.’
On the diagonal, the display is 5.8 inch, with over two million pixels – the highest resolution and pixel density ever seen in an iPhone.
It also features an OLED display.
With the phone, users will be able to raise it to wake, or tap the screen to wake – because Apple has ditched the home button.
Even if you dye your hair, put on a hat, wear glasses, or change your appearance in other drastic ways, the device will still recognize your face. Apple even worked with Hollywood filmmakers to be sure it can’t be fooled by photographs or masks
Now, to reach the home screen, users now swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
To unlock the phone, users can now use facial recognition, which Apple calls Face ID.
A new TrueDepth camera system includes an infrared camera, and other new technology.
The Face ID will learn your face, so every time you glance at the iPhone, it detects your face – even in the dark.
It works by projecting infrared dots out onto your face, which feeds information back into an AI computer, to create a model of the face and check it against the owner.
The built in chip that controls Face ID is built with a neural engine, allowing it to execute 600 billion operations per second.
Face ID will also work with Apple Pay, as well as third party apps.
Another new feature in the iPhone X is animoji – 3D animated emoji that you can control with your face.
The animoji work by tracking more than 50 facial movements and replicating these in your choice of dozens of animal emoji.
‘Animojis’ are a new type of emoji introduced by Apple with the iPhone X. They react to your facial expression from within the messenger app allowing you to express a range of emotions
The iPhone X has dual 12MP cameras, with dual optical image stabilisation and quad LED true tone flash.
The front camera is a breakthrough for selfies, and can take photos in Portrait Mode with Portrait Lighting.
Schiller said: ‘People will be blown away by the selfies you can take with the iPhone X.’
The iPhone also features the same A11 bionic chip as iPhone 8, and will also have wireless charging built in.
Battery life will be two hours better than the iPhone 7.
Like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the premium X model also boasts the A11 Bionic chip. The 64-bit chip has two high performance cores that are 25 percent faster than the A10 chip in the iPhone 7