Apple May Alter Phone Lineup Like Never Before

Apple's most expensive iPhone ever might also be its shortest lived. A report from Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities—dubbed "the king of Apple analysts" by Mashable—predicts Apple will end production of the iPhone X after shipping 18 million devices in the first quarter of 2018, per AppleInsider. If confirmed—and "Kuo is almost always accurate when it comes to Apple's plans," per BGR—the decision would mark the first time Apple has opted to kill an iPhone before its first birthday. Why the change? Kuo first blamed poor sales in China. In a second report obtained by MacRumors, he also cites fears that the iPhone X, offered at a reduced price, would hurt sales of new Apple devices this fall.

An analysis from Canalys finds the iPhone X performed "slightly below industry expectations" over the last three months of 2017, per VentureBeat. Still, Mashable reports Kuo's second explanation makes the most sense: If Apple were to slash the price of the iPhone X by $150 (as it has with other year-old models), that $849 phone might tempt buyers away from a second-generation 5.8-inch iPhone X and a 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus rumored to be offered this fall starting at $999. More likely, though, it would affect sales of a rumored 6.1-inch iPhone starting at $799. Apple will be pushing this phone over the iPhone X as it's expected to include a cheaper LCD screen, reports Mashable, suggesting $849 might be too good a deal for the iPhone X's components, including an OLED screen. (More Apple stories.)