Apple COO Jeff Williams and Foxconn Chief Will Reportedly Meet Amid iPhone X Production Issues

[MacRumors]

Apple's operating chief Jeff Williams will reportedly meet Foxconn chairman Terry Gou later this month, following several reports about ongoing iPhone X production issues, according to Nikkei Asian Review.

While the report did not say which topics Gou and Williams will discuss, it said the two executives will presumably look at ways to deal with the manufacturing bottleneck for Apple's new high-end smartphone.

Williams will be visiting Taiwan for the 30th anniversary of TSMC, the sole supplier of the A11 Bionic chip in the latest iPhone models, the report said. A ceremony marking the celebration is scheduled for Monday.

Apple's suppliers are still struggling to perfect manufacturing of the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera and 3D facial recognition system, according to the report. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo highlighted the issues last month.

Multiple reports have claimed it has taken more time to assemble the TrueDepth system's so-called "Romeo" module than the "Juliet" module.

The "Romeo" module reportedly includes the dot projector that beams more than 30,000 invisible dots to create a precise depth map of your face, while the "Juliet" module includes the infrared camera that analyzes the pattern. Together, they help power new iPhone X features such as Face ID and Animoji.

Foxconn is the sole assembler of the iPhone X, while its subsidiary Sharp and LG Innotek are reportedly responsible for assembling the 3D sensor modules.

Today's report cited an industry executive who said that while the yield rate has improved, it has not yet reached a satisfactory level. The executive believes it's unlikely the yield rate will reach a level that will enable Apple's suppliers to churn out the iPhone X at their full capacity by the end of October.

Jeff Pu, an analyst with Taipei-based Yuanta Investment Consulting, recently cut his forecast of the number of iPhone X devices that will be produced this year from 40 million units to 36 million. It was the second time he has revised down his estimate, which originally totaled 45 million earlier this year.

iPhone X pre-orders begin one week from today in the United States and more than 55 other countries. The device launches November 3.

Article Link: Apple COO Jeff Williams and Foxconn Chief Will Reportedly Meet Amid iPhone X Production Issues

 

[Red Oak]

Why is this even news? Jeff should parked right now at the factories getting this right-sided

 

[Guda.FL]

IF i happen to get one on release day, I will ebay it so fast. Will pay for a weeks vacation.

 

[questionmark32]

I was hoping this news was just being reported now and that they met weeks ago

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Time for the Romeos to get their game on and start hooking up with the Juliets faster!!

 

[miniyou64]

Maybe Apple needs more lead time for such an unnecessarily complex device?

 

[profets]

Why is this even news? Jeff should parked right now at the factories getting this right-sided

Yeah, honestly. With such a product you'd think they're communicating daily or even more frequently to stay updated. Hell I'd imagine there's apple employees at Foxconn overseeing initial iPhone X production, especially leading up to such a launch.

 

[jetjaguar]

IF i happen to get one on release day, I will ebay it so fast. Will pay for a weeks vacation.

Yup .. getting two

 

[Glideslope]

Yup .. getting two

Might limit orders to one device per order.

 

[MarkB786]

Will be interesting to see how many "lemons" end up in buyers' hands.

 

[jamezr]

Romeo and Juliet.... Together, they help power new iPhone X features such as Face ID and Animoji.

Awe...someone should write a story.....

 

[ke-iron]

Damn, that silver back though. Nice!

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Whenever there is a problem, hold a meeting and advertise it!

In that meeting, we'll schedule all of the meetings henceforth.

 

[Karma*Police]

This conflicts with what Kuo reported this morning. Sounds to me like no one really knows for sure and could be more clickbait. If Jeff Williams was already planning to attend TSMC's event, it makes sense that he'd meet with the Foxconn head while he's out there... but the article will get more clicks if the meeting is about addressing production issues of the most anticipated product this year.

 

[zhandri]

This conflicts with what Kuo reported this morning. Sounds to me like no one really knows for sure and could be more clickbait. If Jeff Williams was already planning to attend TSMC's event, it makes sense that he'd meet with the Foxconn head while he's out there... but the article will get more clicks if the meeting is about addressing production issues of the most anticipated product this year.

right. if that meeting was about SOLVING those problems i guess he should be there right now or maybe have been there a week ago but not "later this month"

 

[ijlakw]

Hey Cook.... not a particularly a good thing when a company with your kind of resources can't control the production of their most important product.

Just keep going to the debt markets and keep buying back that stock! You're good.

 

[Eorlas]

I was hoping this news was just being reported now and that they met weeks ago

I mean, they might be meeting *again* but I agree with you that they've probably already met before, and more than once.

 

[Avieshek]

He's the man that will marry Romeo & Juliet.

 

[testcard]

Stable door. Horse. Bolted.

 

[femike]

I hope Apple doesn't compromise on quality. Otherwise Apple's reputation and stock price will free fall. Apple has put most of their eggs into the iPhone while neglecting other products so it cannot afford a major slip up. It's best to have fewer phones available than have quality issues with massive returns/refunds.

 

[rweavere]

I fully intend on buying one to resell. If I can't resell for a profit, I'll just return it to an Apple Store.
Should be the quickest $500 I've ever made.

 

[Denmac1]

As much as this is a rumors site, it's hard to fathom that there would be production issues this late in the game.

At this point, I would certainly not be an early adopter. Even leaving out low production, if there are any issues with the phones operating capabilities, Cook & Williams should be held responsible.

 

[jayducharme]

Will be interesting to see how many "lemons" end up in buyers' hands.

That's what I'm wondering as well. With the sheer number of complicated new technologies and manufacturing issues, that doesn't bode well for the early adopters.

 

[udayan81]

So why launch a thing when they know they cannot meet the demand? It is quite clear from yesterday's article that Iphone 8 is a bust, they are already slashing production to 50%. The whole things looks to me like it was done so haphazardly and with no planning. Showing the iPhone X killed the 8 right on the day it was introduced.

 

[zhandri]

So why launch a thing when they know they cannot meet the demand? It is quite clear from yesterday's article that Iphone 8 is a bust, they are already slashing production to 50%. The whole things looks to me like it was done so haphazardly and with no planning. Showing the iPhone X killed the 8 right on the day it was introduced.

it was their own way to not lose customers. i can tell you that a lot of people would've been upset if they had only released the iphone 8